Marubeni Corporation announced on February 17 that it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Retrieve Technologies Inc. (Headquarters: Ohio, the U.S.), the largest battery recycling company in North America, to develop a business related to the recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LiB). In the future, they will jointly develop a business that refines cobalt and nickel from LiB waste batteries and utilizes them for the battery material field.

Retriev is a pioneer in the battery recycling industry in North America, and its waste LiB processing volume is said to be the largest in North America. Waste LiB for consumer and in-vehicle use is collected, crushed and separated, and valuable metals are collected and sold. Marubeni has been involved in raw material trading in the battery material field since acquiring exclusive sales rights to Japan for Zambian cobalt producers in 1985.

Retriev and Marubeni collaborate with chemical manufacturers who have technical knowledge and expertise in the field to manufacture sulfates, precursors, and positive electrode materials that are raw materials for consumer and automotive LiB. The company plans to proceed with the business.

(IRuniverse)