Toray Advances Lithium Recovery Technology

Toray Industries has developed a mass production technology for a high-durability, high-selectivity nanofiltration membrane element designed to efficiently recover lithium from used lithium-ion batteries. This breakthrough addresses the challenge of recycling batteries by selectively filtering highly acidic sulfuric acid leachate, achieving lithium recovery rates exceeding 95%. The technology also supports the extraction of cobalt and nickel, crucial elements in battery production. Toray aims to scale this up to practical module sizes comparable to conventional water treatment applications to accelerate commercialisation.

The company is advancing efforts to expand supply and deploy this technology both domestically and internationally, backed by results from Ministry of Environment-funded demonstration projects. Toray continues research and development to innovate materials, with a focus on contributing to sustainable resource management and supporting circular economy goals.

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