SELLING LITHIUM TO BATTERY MAKERS
NEU plans to supply the lithium carbonate to battery manufacturers for use in new batteries.
Mr Oh said the company is working with manufacturers to validate the quality and consistency of the recovered lithium, sending progressively larger quantities for testing. Some of these manufacturers supplied the production scrap.
The lithium carbonate could also be sold to buyers in China, where lithium iron phosphate batteries accounted for more than 80 per cent of EV battery sales in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency.
If successful, the technology could help address a growing challenge as more of these batteries reach the end of their lives in the coming years.
NEU is prepared to scale up the Singapore facility if more end-of-life batteries become available locally, Mr Oh said. Existing equipment can accommodate about double the current processing capacity, while going beyond that would require additional equipment.
For now, the company’s priority is still to use the facility as a testbed to refine its technology and establish the engineering blueprint for its larger plants overseas, he said.