韩国电池回收初创公司DRT在群山建成首条量产线，Toptec为其提供自动化拆解设备

Battery recycling startup DRT has commercialized its proprietary multi-stage pyrolysis technology.
The company built its first mass-production facility at the Saemangeum Industrial Complex in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, applying its technology to actual waste battery processing. Compared with conventional rotary kiln systems, the technology reduces both energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by about 50%.
DRT held an event on Sept. 8 at the Saemangeum Industrial Complex to mark the completion of its battery recycling mass-production facility. The first production line can process 12,000 tons of waste batteries annually, equivalent to batteries used in about 24,000 electric vehicles.
The first production line unveiled at the event integrates equipment for dismantling EV battery packs into modules and cells, crushing and heat treatment, and separation of black mass (BM), a powder containing valuable metals, within a single building. South Korean automation equipment maker Toptec supplied the automated equipment for separating battery packs, modules and cells. DRT designed and manufactured the core equipment for subsequent processes, including crushing and heat treatment.
The company plans to add production lines at its Gunsan plant after reviewing operations of the first line and customer demand. It is considering building second and third lines of the same capacity on the remaining site. If all three lines are operational, the Gunsan plant is expected to generate more than 20 billion won in annual revenue.
“This is a mass-production facility incorporating our independently developed high-efficiency resource recovery technology,” DRT CEO Jung Chul-won said. “We will use the first line as a global standard model for mass production and expand our business with customers in South Korea and overseas.”
A key feature of DRT’s system is its ability to process both waste batteries and low-grade black mass on a single line. Waste batteries undergo crushing, heat treatment and separation to recover powder containing valuable metals, while low-grade black mass containing residual organic materials and impurities is heat-treated again to improve its quality.
At the core is DRT’s proprietary multi-stage pyrolysis technology. After waste batteries are crushed, nitrogen is used to lower the oxygen concentration before the material is heat-treated at about 500 degrees Celsius. Organic materials such as electrolytes, separators and binders are removed in a sealed, multi-stage reactor. The process reduces fire risk while increasing black mass purity to about 98%.
DRT will use the first production line to process waste batteries and black mass supplied by customers on a contract-processing basis. Annual revenue is expected at 7 billion to 7.5 billion won. Unlike conventional recyclers that directly purchase raw materials and sell the resulting black mass, DRT processes materials secured by its customers and receives a processing fee.
DRT chose this business model because it allows the company to turn existing recyclers into customers rather than compete with them for waste battery feedstock. By processing customer materials in Gunsan, DRT plans to demonstrate the performance and economics of its multi-stage pyrolysis equipment and expand into an equipment business that installs the technology on customers’ production lines. Each equipment sale could generate tens of billions of won in revenue.
DRT is in discussions with companies in the US and Japan to supply its multi-stage pyrolysis equipment. It is also discussing businesses using waste battery recycling equipment with battery materials companies in South Korea and overseas.
DRT is expanding its pyrolysis technology developed for waste batteries into areas including biomass and waste plastics.
In biomass, the company is developing technology to pyrolyze woody and herbaceous feedstocks to produce bio-oil for use as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
DRT is also advancing catalytic pyrolysis technology for waste plastics. The technology converts waste plastics through pyrolysis into feedstocks for high-value chemical products. DRT is participating in government-funded research projects with universities, refiners and chemical companies to develop the technologies.
DRT has also secured external funding for technology development and construction of mass-production facilities. It has raised 5 billion won since its establishment. Following the start of operations at its first production line, the company plans to secure additional funding to build more facilities and commercialize its pyrolysis technologies.