Tozero reports first delivery of recycled lithium carbonate to customers
The Munich-based startup Tozero, specialized in recycling lithium-ion batteries, has delivered recycled lithium carbonate to an industrial customer for the first time — specifically to Botz GmbH. The material was produced at Tozero’s new demonstration facility in the Gendorf Chemical Park.
Image: Tozero
Tozero recovers lithium carbonate from black mass and now announces that it has delivered such recycled material for the first time. The customer is Botz GmbH, a specialist in ceramic pigments. “This delivery shows that Tozero can produce recycled lithium carbonate according to the specifications of an industrial client,” emphasizes the Munich-based startup. The delivery marks the beginning of fulfilling a long-term, binding supply contract with regular shipments.
The recycled material is produced in a demonstration plant opened in March at the Gendorf chemical park in upper Bavaria. Located just a few kilometers from the German-Austrian border, the facility is designed to process up to 500 tons of battery waste per year.
Dr. Ksenija Neumann, founder and co-CEO of Tozero, commented: “Delivering a product that meets the requirements of an industrial customer is a significant moment for any deep-tech company. It reflects years of dedication, problem-solving, and determination from our team. From the beginning, we have believed that innovation must have a clear industrial purpose, and that every euro invested should bring us closer to creating real value for our customers.”
On behalf of Botz GmbH, Managing Director Daniel Schulze Zur Verth said, “The supply of recycled lithium carbonate by Tozero reflects our shared commitment to building more sustainable, resilient, and regionally rooted supply chains. Increased use of recycled raw materials is a key lever to reduce dependence on primary raw materials and sustainably lower the environmental footprint of our industrial production.”
Background: Tozero was founded in 2022 and has developed a process to efficiently recover high-purity lithium and graphite from used batteries. Specifically, it aims to recover over 80 percent of the lithium from these batteries. Tozero focuses on processing the so-called black mass, which contains valuable battery active materials. The disassembly of the batteries, on the other hand, is outsourced to “specialized partners.”
Tozero already delivered the first batches of recycled material to European customers in 2024. However, this lithium was still produced on a small scale from pilot facilities in Munich. The demonstration plant in Gendorf is intended to increase output to the aforementioned level. Meanwhile, the company is expanding its network and, according to its own statements, is now working with partners in ten European countries. The recycled lithium carbonate is currently mainly sold to customers in the construction, ceramics, and lubricants industries. Additional raw materials and sectors are set to follow, including the battery industry itself, according to Tozero. The long-term goal is to reintroduce recycled lithium from end-of-life batteries directly into battery cell production, say the Munich-based company. A prerequisite for this is recovering lithium to battery-grade quality.