S K Innovation Co. (Seoul, South Korea) announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KBR, Inc. (Houston) related to its proprietary Battery Metal Recycling (BMR) technology.
The MOU, which licenses SK’s BMR technology, was signed at the Fastmarkets European Battery Raw Materials Conference 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal, from September 16 to 18. This strategic collaboration will enable KBR to integrate SK Innovation’s BMR technology with its PureLi® high-purity crystallization technology, offering a unique solution to the global market and generating royalty revenue for SK Innovation. The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Phil-seok, CTO/Executive Director of SK Innovation’s Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, and Gautham Krishnaiah, CTO of KBR.
The BMR technology developed by SK Innovation is distinctive for its proprietary process that directly recovers lithium hydroxide from used batteries, standing out from traditional methods. Meanwhile, KBR’s PureLi® technology effectively removes impurities from lithium-containing solutions and produces battery-grade high-purity lithium hydroxide through a continuous cooling and recrystallization process.
Since 2017, SK Innovation has been developing its unique BRM technology by combining original research ideas with accumulated expertise in the refinery and petrochemical sectors, overcoming the limitations of existing lithium recovery technologies.
In 2021, SK Innovation built a commercial demonstration facility at its Institute for Environmental Science & Technology capable of directly recovering lithium hydroxide from used batteries equivalent to about 800 electric vehicles annually. This technological prowess has been validated with over 100 patent applications filed domestically and internationally.
At the MOU signing, CTO of SK Innovation, Kim Phil-seok stated, “With SK Innovation’s cutting-edge lithium recovery technology, we can fully meet the EU Battery Regulation’s mandatory recovery rates, and the performance of batteries produced from the recovered lithium has already been verified. We are committed to leading the global market in battery recycling technology with our eco-friendliness and ability to respond to global regulations.”
Gautham Krishnaiah, KBR’s CTO, commented, “SK Innovation’s lithium recovery technology is more cost-effective than traditional wet, dry, and carbon reduction technologies. We aim to secure business viability by creating synergy with KBR’s high-purity crystallization technology and licensing capabilities.”
Furthermore, CTO Kim of SK Innovation delivered a keynote speech on the first day of the Fastmarkets European Battery Raw Materials Conference 2025, discussing the growth of the battery market, the importance of critical minerals, and SK Innovation’s advanced technologies. He highlighted the constraints in resource acquisition and environmental regulations due to the growth of the global electric vehicle and battery industries, emphasizing that SK Innovation’s BMR technology could be a viable solution.