LS MnM targets battery-materials growth with smelter-derived sulphuric acid

South Korean metals producer LS MnM plans to use sulphuric acid recovered from copper-smelting operations to process nickel and cobalt for battery materials, linking its existing metals business with its expansion into the electric-vehicle supply chain. The company captures sulphur dioxide generated at its Onsan Smelter and converts it into sulphuric acid. LS MnM’s sulphuric-acid facilities have annual capacity of 1.925 million t/a, according to the company, providing a potential internal reagent source for hydrometallurgical processing.

The acid is intended for nickel and cobalt leaching at EVBM Saemangeum, LS MnM’s battery-materials project. The development will combine mixed hydroxide precipitate refining with black-mass recycling, producing nickel, cobalt and manganese sulphates, while recovered lithium will be converted into lithium hydroxide. The project is scheduled for completion by end-2026; earlier plans indicated nickel sulphate capacity equivalent to 22,000 t/a of contained nickel, with full-scale production originally expected in early 2027.

Use of smelter-derived acid would avoid the need to purchase elemental sulphur as a feedstock for acid manufacture and reduce the project’s direct exposure to sulphur and sulphuric-acid prices. LS MnM already produces nickel sulphate at its smaller Asan facility and has stated an ambition to build an integrated chain spanning sulphate metals, cathode precursors and recycling. Its longer-term target is to expand nickel sulphate capacity to 270,000 t/y by 2030.

Rising acid prices are also encouraging greater focus on sulphuric acid among South Korean smelters. Korea Zinc plans to raise semiconductor-grade acid capacity at its Onsan smelter from 280,000 t/a to 320,000 t/a in the second half of 2026, with a longer-term goal of 500,000 t/a. This material is principally intended for semiconductor-wafer cleaning rather than battery-material production.