POSCO Holdings completed the construction of a secondary battery recycling plant for POSCO HY Clean Metal, establishing a virtuous cycle of sustainable resources for the group's secondary battery material business.
The joint venture involves POSCO Holdings, China's Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, and GS Energy, all committed to secondary battery recycling.
The completion ceremony for the POSCO HY Clean Metal secondary battery recycling plant took place on July 7 at the Yulchon Industrial Complex in Jeollanam-do. Dignitaries in attendance included Jeong-Woo Choi, the Chairman of POSCO Group, Kim Young-Rok, the Governor of South Jeolla Province, Chen Xuehua, Chairman of Zhejiang Huayu Cobalt, and Yong-Soo Huh, President of GS Energy.
During the ceremony, Chairman Jeong-Woo Choi stated, "Through continuous investments in cathode materials, precursors, lithium, and recycling, we aim to develop the POSCO Group into a world-class representative in the secondary battery material industry."
Governor Kim Young-Rok expressed his belief that "Jeollanam-do will become a hub for secondary battery materials."
The newly completed secondary battery recycling plant has the capacity to process 12,000 tons of black powder annually. This enables the recovery of metal resources, such as 2,500 tons of nickel, 800 tons of cobalt, and 2,500 tons of lithium carbonate, which serve as essential raw materials for secondary battery materials. Black powder, obtained by selectively crushing waste batteries, contains valuable metals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese that are crucial for secondary battery production.
Last year, POSCO Holdings established the Poland Legnica Sourcing Center (PLSC) plant in Poland. At this facility, secondary battery scrap and waste batteries are shredded to produce black powder, which is then supplied to the POSCO HY Clean Metal Recycling Plant in the Yulchon Industrial Complex in Jeollanam-do. This integrated structure ensures the extraction of raw metals for secondary battery materials.
POSCO HY Clean Metal possesses advanced process technology that maximizes the recovery rate of raw material metals for secondary battery materials. Additionally, the company has commercialized by-products such as copper and sodium sulfate generated during the process, thereby minimizing waste production.
The products manufactured by POSCO HY Clean Metal will be supplied to the cathode material plant of POSCO Future M, located adjacent to the Yulchon Industrial Complex. This strategic move aims to enhance the POSCO Group's competitiveness in raw material procurement for the secondary battery material business.
With the completion of the secondary battery recycling plant, POSCO Holdings has further reinforced its competitive advantage. By securing recycling capabilities and essential raw materials like lithium and nickel, as well as cathode and anode materials, the company has established a comprehensive secondary battery material value chain within the POSCO Group.
This contributes to an eco-friendly resource closed loop, minimizing carbon dioxide emissions and reducing costs.
