tozero and the EIC Accelerator: Lithium From Europe's Battery Waste

tozero, registered in Munich in 2022 by chief executive Sarah Fleischer and metallurgist Ksenija Milicevic Neumann, recovers lithium and graphite from "black mass", the shredded powder from used lithium-ion batteries, with what it calls an acid-free, low-temperature hydrometallurgical process. Its EIC Accelerator project, "Bringing Lithium-Ion Battery Waste tozero", receives an EU contribution of €2,499,952 and runs from December 2024 to November 2026, according to CORDIS. The plan was a demonstration facility processing about 500 tonnes of black mass a year into more than 80 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent and more than 100 tonnes of graphite, moving from batch to continuous operation.

The first report says tozero moved to Chemiepark Gendorf, an industrial chemical site in Bavaria, reached "all target recycling goals on pilot scale" and was operating its extraction units within the new plant, according to CORDIS. In March 2026 tozero launched the Gendorf plant, built in six months, which it says can process 1,500 tonnes of battery waste a year and produce 100 tonnes of high-purity lithium carbonate, plus graphite and a nickel-cobalt mix, according to Silicon Republic. It plans a commercial plant for 2030 processing 45,000 tonnes a year.

Where tozero Stands Now

tozero delivered recycled lithium to its first commercial customers in April 2024, about nine months after opening its Munich pilot plant, according to tozero. Its €11 million seed round in November 2024 was led by NordicNinja, with Honda, In-Q-Tel and the engineering group JGC joining, to build the Gendorf plant, according to tozero. The Gendorf plant will supply lithium and graphite to customers in construction, ceramics and lubricants. tozero lost €1.82 million in 2023 and €2.55 million in 2024, according to its accounts on North Data.

The Technology: Water Instead of Fire

Many recycling routes, the EIC report says, do not recover lithium and graphite effectively. tozero's process dissolves and separates the materials at low temperature in water-based chemistry and recovers both, plus nickel and cobalt. It says its pilot already met the EU's 2031 requirement to recover 80% of lithium from batteries. Both lithium and natural graphite are on the EU's critical raw materials list.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The central deliverable, a first-of-a-kind industrial plant running continuously, was launched in March 2026, eight months before the project ends, with stated lithium capacity above the target. What the plant actually produces, and at what cost, has not been published. The launch is the company's claim; no independent audit of output exists.

1. Pilot recycling targetsDeliveredProject report.
2. Industrial plant builtDeliveredGendorf, March 2026.
3. 80+ t lithium a yearCapacity only100 t stated.
4. Continuous operationUnverifiedNo data published.

The Money

The award was blended finance; no EIC Fund investment has been announced. The 45,000-tonne commercial plant planned for 2030 will need far more capital than tozero has disclosed. Its seed backers include two Japanese corporates, Honda and JGC.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

tozero says 99% of Europe's lithium comes from abroad, while end-of-life batteries pile up at home. A European plant that returns lithium and graphite to the supply chain serves the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act directly.

The Verdict

tozero and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.