From smartphones to drones to vehicles – most of today's electric vehicles rely on lithium-ion batteries. And the electrification of private transport is further increasing demand for batteries – and thus for the raw material lithium. Currently, this demand in Europe is met through imports; recycling has so far played a key role. hardly a role.
The Munich-based startup Tozero wants to change this. To this end, the company is developing a scalable recycling plant for lithium-ion batteriesIt aims to extract not only lithium but also other valuable materials such as nickel, cobalt, and graphite from discarded batteries. Tozero was founded in July 2022 by Sarah Fleischer and Ksenija Milicevic Neumann. In their work, the two founders collaborate closely with Prof. Bernd Friedrich, who, as head of the Institute for Metallurgical Process Engineering and Metal Recycling at RWTH Aachen University, is considered a pioneer in battery recycling research.
Sarah Fleischer, co-founder and CEO of Tozero, says:
"We must act now and develop a scalable and robust battery recycling process. At Tozero, we are committed to challenging the status quo of the material life cycle to accelerate decarbonization. This will allow us to confidently enter the age of electrification, continue innovation, and improve the quality of life without compromise. We are delighted to have attracted such renowned investors and Prof. Bernd Friedrich as an advisor to our mission."
“A turning point in the industry”
Daniel Niemi, Principal at Atlantic Labs, is enthusiastic about the Startup:
“The introduction of a novel and sustainable method for the recycling of black mass (“Black mass” refers to further processed battery residues, i.e. Red.) from lithium-ion batteries is a game-changer in the industry, enabling significantly higher recovery rates of key metals than currently used methods. Sarah and Ksenija are a fantastic founding team with symbiotic skills, deep expertise, and the ambition to build a sustainable company. We are delighted to partner with them on this mission."
And Jochem Heizmann, former member of the board of Volkswagen and business angel, adds:
"Recovering all raw materials from lithium-ion batteries through recycling is essential from an economic and ecological perspective, but it's not yet state-of-the-art. In addition to the importance of this task, the expertise of the Tozero founding team convinced me to invest."
