As the global transition to electric mobility accelerates, the challenge of managing the end-of-life phase for power batteries has transformed from a waste management issue into a significant industrial opportunity. According to industry projections, China generated nearly 400,000 tonnes of retired power batteries in 2025, a figure expected to scale past 1 million tonnes annually by 2030. This massive surge in volume requires a sophisticated, highly automated recycling infrastructure, a subject covered in-depth by People’s Daily.
The industrial park managed by Brunp Recycling in Yichang, Hubei province, represents the state-of-the-art for this “circular economy.” The process begins with rigorous verification using the national traceability platform launched on March 31, 2026. This system mandates a digital ID for every battery, tracking its lifecycle from manufacture to retirement. This isn’t just for regulatory compliance; it prevents “leakage” into unauthorized workshops and ensures that the material—now defined by its degradation below 80% state-of-health (SoH)—enters a controlled, safe environment for automated dismantling.
The technical core of this transformation is the conversion of cells into “black mass,” a high-purity powder rich in nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium. The shift from traditional, low-efficiency methods to direct hydrometallurgical recycling has been a game-changer for the industry. Brunp’s proprietary processes now boast a combined recovery rate of 99.6% for nickel, cobalt, and manganese, and a 96.5% recovery rate for lithium. By dissolving the black mass into a high-precision “metal soup” and separating these ions, the plant creates raw materials—lithium carbonate and iron phosphate—that are essentially indistinguishable from those derived from newly mined ores.
The operational speed and integration here are remarkable. The entire regeneration cycle, from receiving a discarded pack to delivering cathode-ready raw materials to manufacturers, takes only one week. Furthermore, the industry is moving toward “reverse product design,” where the data gathered from the recycling floor is fed back to manufacturers to improve future battery structures for easier dismantling and separation. This closed-loop system is optimizing the entire supply chain, reducing the dependency on primary mining, and driving down the carbon footprint of battery production.
For the market, the results are clear: the next generation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries manufactured using these recycled materials are meeting consumer demands for faster charging speeds and extended driving ranges. As this infrastructure scales, we are seeing a shift where recycling is no longer just a “green” initiative but a competitive economic strategy. By optimizing the efficiency of this resource recovery, the industry is effectively lowering the cost of entry for next-generation EVs, ensuring that the transition to sustainable transport is both technically and economically viable. For anyone tracking the future of the automotive sector, this closed-loop chemical engineering—turning waste back into power—is one of the most critical trends of the decade.
News source: https://peoplesdaily.pdnews.cn/china/er/30052460534