Princeton NuEnergy, SK Battery America expand partnership on closed-loop battery recycling

Princeton NuEnergy Inc. has announced its ongoing collaboration with SK Battery America (SKBA) to advance the development of a closed-loop recycling pathway for battery manufacturing scrap generated at SKBA’s facilities in Commerce, Georgia.

Under the planned collaboration, PNE will receive battery manufacturing scrap from SKBA. The company is exploring a recycling facility near the manufacturing site to develop a streamlined system for battery materials recycling. Designed to process battery manufacturing scrap, the facility would recover and rejuvenate cathode active material for potential return to battery manufacturing, helping support a more integrated domestic battery supply chain.

PNE recently announced that it has been selected by the US Department of Energy to enter award negotiations for up to $50 million in support of a proposed $110 million project to develop a Cathode-to-Cathode rejuvenation facility in the United States.

Unlike conventional recycling methods that break battery materials down into their constituent elements, PNE’s direct recycling process is designed to preserve and rejuvenate the engineered structure of cathode materials.

The collaboration reflects PNE and SKBA’s shared interest in improving material circularity, recovering value from battery manufacturing scrap, and strengthening domestic supply chain for critical battery materials. A localized recycling pathway also reduces reliance on imported inputs while supporting U.S. energy security and industrial competitiveness.

PNE and SKBA are continuing discussions regarding the technical and commercial framework for the collaboration.

“Our business collaboration with SK Battery America reflects growing interest in direct recycling solutions for U.S. battery manufacturing,” said Chao Yan, Co-Founder and CEO of PNE. “By leveraging PNE’s Cathode-to-Cathode process, we aim to support a more localized and circular domestic battery materials supply chain.”

About Companies

Princeton NuEnergy Inc. (PNE) is an American advanced battery materials company developing and commercializing proprietary technologies for lithium-ion battery materials production.

SK Battery America, Inc. (SKBA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of SK On and a leading developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. SKBA operates electric vehicle battery manufacturing facilities in Commerce, Georgia, with a combined annual production capacity of approximately 22 GWh.