The dry smelting technology for recovering rare metals such as lithium and nickel from electric vehicle waste batteries will enter the demonstration stage. An environmentally friendly pet funeral service utilizing animal drying facilities in urban areas and a system to clean and recycle discarded nets collected from the sea on ships will also be established.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy approved 57 projects in the areas of resource circulation, public life, and energy based on these details at the '1st Industry Convergence Regulatory Exemption Review Committee of 2025' on the 31st.
First, in the resource circulation field, 'Aldisolution' will demonstrate dry smelting technology to recover rare metals such as lithium and nickel from electric vehicle waste batteries. The dry smelting technology involves inputting waste batteries into a vertical heating furnace without preprocessing like separating cathode materials and electrolytes, and recovering metals in a process that generates little wastewater as it does not use chemical solutions.
Currently, anyone can recycle electric vehicle waste batteries as long as they adhere to recycling standards. The current standards are based on 'wet smelting,' which involves dissolving metals using chemical solutions, making it difficult to apply to dry smelting. This demonstration is expected to secure empirical data for establishing recycling standards suitable for dry smelting.
'Small Action' will establish a system to clean discarded nets collected from the sea using seawater or rainwater on a barge and recycle them. It has a higher salt removal rate compared to existing land washing, enhancing its recycling value. The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries interpret that the cleaning before moving on land does not require separate registration or permission under the Waste Management Act and the Marine Waste Management Act, thus enabling this project.
In the public life sector, 'Donggeurami' will demonstrate an environmentally friendly urban funeral service using animal drying facilities. Burial facilities for animals cannot be installed in densely populated authorized areas. However, the microwave drying used in this demonstration is expected to significantly improve energy efficiency and emit almost no air pollutants compared to existing hot air drying, leading to approval for demonstration in urban areas. It is expected to enhance the accessibility of pet funerals for pet owners.
Je Kyung-hee, the Commissioner of Industrial Technology Convergence Policy, noted, 'This committee approved numerous agendas that contribute to resource circulation and improving public life convenience,' and added, 'We will closely support the approved projects to start promptly and proceed to regulatory amendments so that the public can feel the effects of regulatory improvements in their daily lives.'