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대학/대학원
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연구/산학
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대학생활
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입학/취업
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커뮤니티
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대학소개
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개교 80주년
연구/산학
PKNU Research 1000
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Pukyong National University, the first university in Busan,always paves a new path through specialized and converged research to lead the era of the fourth indutrial revolution.
| Min-Sung Ko·Soo-Jong Chae | Development of Innovative Technology for Recycling Spent Secondary Batteries | |||
| 작성자 | 대외홍보센터 | 작성일 | 2026-05-04 |
| 조회수 | 39 | ||
| Min-Sung Ko·Soo-Jong Chae | Development of Innovative Technology for Recycling Spent Secondary Batteries | |||||
 |
대외홍보센터 |  |
2026-05-04 |  |
39 |
Pukyong National University and Chung-Ang University Develop Eco-Friendly Innovative Technology for Recycling Spent Secondary Batteries with a 99% Metal Recovery Rate
- Joint research achievement by the teams of Professors Min-Sung Ko, Soo-Jong Chae, and Hae-Sung Jang
- Published in the international journal Energy & Environmental Materials
A joint research team from Pukyong National University and Chung-Ang University has developed an innovative technology for recycling spent secondary batteries that enables the recovery of valuable metals without the use of external reducing agents.
This technology is expected to provide a new solution to the growing problem of spent secondary battery disposal, driven by the rapid expansion of electric vehicle (EV) adoption.
The joint research team led by Min-Sung Ko, Professor of the Major in Metallurgical Engineering, and Soo-Jong Chae, Professor of the Major in Energy and Chemical Materials Engineering at Pukyong National University, along with Hae-Sung Jang, Professor of the Major in Advanced Materials Engineering at Chung-Ang University, developed the “Simplified Direct Carbothermic Reduction (SDCR)” technology. The research findings were published in the March 2026 issue of <Energy & Environmental Materials> (IF = 14.1), a world-renowned journal in the field of energy and environmental materials.
The SDCR technology developed by the research team differs from conventional spent battery recycling methods by using the carbon components inherently contained in waste electrodes to directly reduce and recover valuable metals.
Previously, recycling spent secondary batteries required complex pretreatment processes and the use of external chemical substances. Currently commercialized hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy processes involve burdens such as high-temperature calcination, the generation of hazardous gases and waste acids, and the need for large-scale facilities, resulting in significant environmental pollution and high costs. Because of these structural limitations, concerns have often been raised about the practical efficiency of secondary battery recycling.
The SDCR method utilizes the carbon components contained in conductive materials and binders inside the electrode as an internal reducing agent. This technology makes it possible to simultaneously carry out reduction and metal recovery while maintaining the original physical structure of the waste electrode without destruction.
In addition, compared to conventional pyrometallurgical processes that require high-temperature calcination, this method can operate at lower temperatures, significantly reducing energy consumption. This greatly enhances its industrial applicability, as it can maximize recycling efficiency while reducing environmental burdens.
In experiments applying the SDCR process to spent lithium secondary batteries, the research team recorded high recovery rates of 99.5% for cobalt and 98.6% for lithium. Compared to conventional hydrometallurgical processes, energy consumption decreased by approximately 73%, while greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by about 41%. These figures demonstrate that the technology has secured strong competitiveness in both environmental sustainability and economic efficiency.
Professor Min-Sung Ko stated, “The core of this technology lies in achieving recycling by inducing reduction using only the internal components of spent batteries, without the use of separate reducing agents or hazardous chemicals. We expect this technology to be widely applied to the recycling of various types of lithium secondary batteries and to become an important turning point in establishing a sustainable resource circulation system.”
Meanwhile, this research was conducted with support from the Basic Research Laboratory Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Materials and Components Technology Development Program of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. <Pukyong Today>
