CATL, the leading Chinese battery manufacturer, has announced plans to invest up to ¥23.8 billion (approx. €3.25 billion) in the construction of a large industrial park for the recycling and processing of battery raw materials.
The industrial park, which will be built by CATL subsidiary Brump (Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology) in Foshan, Guangdong province, will have an annual processing capacity of 500,000 tonnes.
The facility will recycle cathode materials from LFP and NMC cells and graphite from anodes, and process them into new batteries. The construction is estimated to take four years.
See also: Nissan plan build new battery recycling factories in the United States and Europe by 2025
China is ramping up its battery reuse and recycling efforts to deal with the growing number of electric vehicle batteries ready for reuse and recycling. The country is also looking for more sustainable recycling methods. In the meantime, the Fraunhofer Institute has announced a program aimed at direct reuse of some battery components to avoid toxic chemical separation methods.
Battery recycling is becoming an increasingly important source of raw materials, especially with the growing market for NEVs and the growing geopolitical interest in precious metals and lithium resources.
With China dominating the battery production market and processing of battery materials, the project announced by CATL is aimed at securing the supply of raw materials for lithium cells and improving the company’s position in the lithium battery industry chain.
