The Munich-based DeepTech startup tozero is establishing a pilot plant for lithium-ion battery recycling at the GENDORF Chemical Park. The company recently signed a lease agreement for an existing building, which will be used to construct a demonstration facility.

The new facility is expected to go into operation later this year. It will serve as the technological foundation for the commercial production planned for 2026. The unique feature of tozero’s chemical battery recycling process is the efficient recovery of high-purity lithium and graphite, which can then be reused in the manufacture of new battery cells. Unlike conventional recycling processes, which typically retain only metals such as copper or aluminum while losing other valuable substances, tozero's approach enables the recovery and reuse of significantly more critical raw materials.

"Once again, a technological pioneer in the circular economy has chosen the GENDORF Chemical Park", says Dr. Christoph von Reden, Managing Director of InfraServ Gendorf, the operator of the chemical park. It was only in February that the startup PRUVIA announced the construction of a commercial plant for chemical plastic recycling at the site. "tozero strengthens our position as a pioneering location for young, fast-growing companies from future-focused industries," von Reden continues. "Our infrastructure and our tailored industrial services for the chemical and process industries provide ideal conditions for companies aiming to scale. We use these advantages strategically to attract more innovation drivers to Gendorf."

Ksenija Milicevic Neumann, CTO of tozero, explains: "With our technology, we return valuable and energy-intensive materials like lithium and graphite back into the economic cycle. In doing so, we help make Germany and Europe less dependent on raw material imports. We already have many potential buyers for the recycled materials. The commercial demonstration plant at the chemical park is therefore a milestone for us and an important interim step in scaling our technology. The GENDORF Chemical Park, with its ‘plug-and-play’ infrastructure, is the ideal location for us. Here, we can fully concentrate on further developing our technology while InfraServ Gendorf supports us with everything else."

Rapid Rise in Europe’s Battery Circular Economy
tozero was founded in 2022 and has since made rapid technological progress in recycling materials from lithium-ion batteries. Just two years after its founding, the company delivered its first batches of recycled, high-purity lithium to European customers. The recycling process enables the recovery of over 80 percent of the lithium from used batteries – already exceeding the EU targets set for 2031. Graphite can also be fully recovered and reintegrated into the local supply chain – a key contribution to building a closed European battery value chain.

tozero intentionally focuses on processing black mass instead of whole batteries, allowing it to concentrate fully on its technological core – the efficient and sustainable recovery of valuable raw materials. By outsourcing mechanical battery disassembly to specialized partners, tozero minimizes safety risks, reduces logistics costs, and increases the flexibility and scalability of its recycling process. The company currently employs around 30 people from ten nations at its Munich site. In Gendorf, tozero plans initial investments in the mid-single-digit million euro range. The project is co-financed by the European Union under the EIC Accelerator Program.