German battery recycling startup Tozero has delivered its first batch of recycled lithium carbonate to industrial customer Botz GmbH, marking a milestone in the commercialisation of its battery material recovery technology.
The material was produced at Tozero’s demonstration plant in Gendorf Chemical Park in Upper Bavaria. The shipment begins the fulfilment of a long-term supply agreement that will involve regular deliveries to Botz, a specialist in ceramic colours.
Tozero Opens Industrial-Scale Battery Recycling Plant in Bavaria
The delivery demonstrates the company’s ability to produce recycled lithium carbonate that meets industrial customer requirements, as it moves beyond small-scale production at its earlier pilot facilities in Munich.
Demonstration Plant Targets 500 Tonnes Annually
Opened in March, the Gendorf facility is designed to process approximately 500 tonnes of battery waste annually. Tozero focuses on recovering valuable materials from black mass, the mixture of active materials obtained after used batteries are collected and mechanically processed.
The company aims to recover more than 80% of the lithium contained in used batteries, alongside graphite. Battery dismantling is handled by specialised partners, while Tozero concentrates on processing the resulting black mass.
The expansion comes as Europe seeks to strengthen its battery material supply chains. More than 85% of global black mass refining capacity is concentrated in China, with much of the remaining capacity located elsewhere in Asia.
Industrial Customers and European Supply Chains
Botz Managing Director Daniel Schulze Zur Verth said the delivery represents progress towards more sustainable and regionally anchored industrial supply chains.
“Receiving recycled lithium carbonate from tozero marks an important milestone in our collaboration and reflects our shared ambition to build more sustainable, resilient and regionally anchored supply chains. Increasing the use of recycled raw materials will be an important part of reducing reliance on primary resources and lowering the environmental footprint of industrial production.”
Tozero, founded in 2022, previously supplied small batches of recycled materials to European customers in 2024 using its pilot facilities. Production from the Gendorf demonstration plant is expected to support larger-scale commercial deliveries.
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The company now works with partners in ten European countries and currently supplies recycled lithium carbonate mainly to customers in construction, ceramics and lubricants.
Tozero founder and Co-CEO Dr Ksenija Neumann described the first industrial delivery as an important step in translating the company’s technology into commercial applications.
“Delivering a product that meets the requirements of an industrial customer is an important moment for any deep-tech company. It reflects years of dedication, problem-solving and determination by our team. From the beginning, we believed that innovation needs to have a clear industrial purpose and that every euro invested should move us closer to creating real value for our customers.”
Targeting Battery-Grade Lithium Recovery
Beyond its current industrial markets, Tozero aims to supply recycled lithium directly back into battery manufacturing. Achieving this will require the production of battery-grade lithium carbonate that meets the specifications of battery cell producers.
The company’s longer-term strategy is to establish a circular supply chain in which lithium recovered from end-of-life batteries can be reused in new battery cells, reducing dependence on primary raw material extraction.