Toray Develops Mass Production Technology For Nanofiltration Membrane Elements That Can Recover More Than 95% Of Lithium From Used Batteries

Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed technology to scale up a new high-durability, high-selectivity nanofiltration membrane element (see note 1) that can efficiently recover high yields of high-purity lithium when recycling automotive lithium-ion batteries. This advance should significantly increase the recovery of lithium that conventional recycling processes largely discard.

Establishing a closed-loop cycle for lithium by recycling batteries has become a critical technological challenge as more people adopt electrified vehicles and economies decarbonize.

The proliferation of nickel- and cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate batteries in recent years has greatly increased demand for recovering lithium. Toray’s new technology would enable efficient and high-quality lithium recovery from diverse lithium-ion battery variants, including nickel-cobalt and lithium iron phosphate types. It also makes it possible to extract cobalt and nickel, which are also vital for lithium-ion batteries.

To date, Toray’s nanofiltration membranes have recovered lithium from salt lakes. Doing that with used lithium-ion batteries requires filtering highly acidic sulfuric acid leachate that extracts metals from those batteries. Conventional membranes are insufficiently acid-resistant.

Toray addressed this challenge by developing a highly durable and selective nanofiltration membrane with much better acid resistance. The membrane filters sulfuric acid leachate from black mass (note 2) produced when heat-treating end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The company proposed and demonstrated what it positions as the world’s first technology for selectively separating and recovering lithium with membranes. Multiple laboratory-scale demonstrations confirmed lithium recovery rates exceeding 95%.

Toray harnessed its expertise in organic synthesis and polymer chemistry and nanotechnology to upscale and widen its highly durable and selective nanofiltration membrane elements. It is thus possible to mass-produce modules with elements sized like those in conventional water treatment applications. This practical recycling approach will enable Toray to supply samples to customers, helping accelerate this technology’s commercialization.

Toray is accelerating efforts to bolster its supply structure with a view to deploying its technology across Japan and overseas. Results from Ministry of Environment-funded demonstration projects in fiscal 2023 contributed to Toray’s technological breakthrough. Those initiatives sought to optimize renewable energy-related products and base materials to build a domestic closed loop recycling structure (note 3).

The company will keep pursuing R&D to innovate materials in keeping with its commitment to delivering new value and contributing to social progress.

About Toray
Toray Industries, Inc., is a global leader in advanced materials innovation, comprising more than 300 affiliated companies and approximately 48,000 employees worldwide. Since 1926, we have continuously expanded our business portfolio—from Fibers & Textiles, to Resins & Chemicals, Films, Electronics & Information Materials, Carbon Fiber Composite Materials, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products, as well as Water Treatment & Environment. April 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Toray’s founding. In line with our Corporate Philosophy, “Contributing to society through the creation of new value with innovative ideas, technologies and products,” we will commit to delivering fundamental solutions to global-scale challenges. For more information, visit www.toray.com.

1. Toray’s proprietary cross-linked polymer membrane offers robust acid resistance and a precise pore structure below 1 nanometer and can selectively separate monovalent and multivalent ions. Refer to the following news release, issued on August 29, 2022: Toray Creates Membrane Separators to Recover Lithium from Used Lithium-Ion Batteries https://www.toray.com/news/article.html?contentId=72c2n8xb
2. Black mass powder from recycling lithium-ion batteries contains such materials as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, aluminum, iron, and other elements.
3. Details about what is officially called the Fiscal 2023 Demonstration Projects for Total Optimization of Renewable Energy-Related Products and Base Materials Aimed at Establishing a Domestic Resource Circulation System (in Japanese only) https://www.env.go.jp/press/press_02077.html