Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment to Invest 37 Billion Won in Developing Saline Wastewater Treatment Technology for Secondary Batteries

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that it will launch a national technology development project in the first half of 2026 aimed at reducing energy consumption in the treatment of saline wastewater (hereinafter referred to as "saline wastewater") generated in the secondary battery sector. The project also seeks to recover dissolved substances in the wastewater-such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, aluminum, and manganese-and enable water reuse.

This national technology development project will be carried out over five years starting in the first half of 2026, with a total budget of approximately 47.5 billion won (including 37 billion won in government funding). The project consists of five tasks: developing separation technologies and processes for high-salinity wastewater from secondary batteries, demonstrating dissolved substance recovery technologies, and developing high-salinity-resistant biological treatment technologies for linking secondary battery wastewater to public treatment facilities. The project aims to produce demonstrable results. For the first year, 2026, the government has allocated a budget of 3.6 billion won.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will begin accepting proposals and applications from relevant companies and research institutes by January 23 of next year. After evaluating the proposals in March, the ministry will select the final technology development project operators.

Subsequently, the selected companies or institutions will sign new project agreements in April 2026 and carry out the related national technology development project over the following five years.

The request for proposals, including detailed technical information, can be found on the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute website.

An official from the ministry stated, "Treating saline wastewater from secondary batteries requires significant energy and resources, which places a heavy burden on companies. We planned this national technology development project to process saline wastewater from secondary batteries, reflecting the opinions of experts and companies, in response to industry demands for more energy-efficient wastewater treatment technologies to enhance the competitiveness of the sector."