China's First Ten-Thousand-Ton-Class Decommissioned Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Battery Full-Component Recycling Line Passes Industry Expert Acceptance

The "Full-Component Green Recycling and High-Value Utilization Technology and Equipment Development for Decommissioned LiFePO₄ Batteries" project is led by Guangdong Guanghua Sci-Tech Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Tsinghua University's Shenzhen International Graduate School, Beijing University of Science and Technology, Huizhou Ruicycle Technology Co. , Ltd., Zhuhai Zhongli New Energy Sci-Tech Co.,Ltd, and the Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, among other enterprises and universities.

Relevant leaders from the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Science and Technology Information, along with Chen Xiong, General Manager of GHTECH's Shantou Branch, Xu Shengming, Professor and Project Leader, and over 20 members from participating organizations, attended the acceptance meeting. During the meeting, Professor Xu Shengming gave a detailed report on the project's basic situation, completion of key indicators, achievements and innovation, economic and social benefits, and project management. After listening to the report, the expert group conducted a site inspection, reviewed the submitted acceptance materials, and after questioning and discussion, unanimously concluded that the project had successfully met all the evaluation criteria and passed the acceptance.

China’s First Ten-Thousand-Ton-Class Decommissioned LFP Battery Production Line Achieves Full-Component, High-Quality, High-Value Recycling and Mass Production

Technologically, this project addresses key issues in the recycling process of decommissioned LFP batteries, resolving long-standing bottlenecks in the industry, such as poor economic viability, low product added value, and severe secondary pollution. The project has developed a complete set of proprietary technology and equipment for the green recycling and high-value utilization of decommissioned LFP batteries, with a 100% domestic manufacturing rate. The technology and equipment levels have reached internationally leading standards.

Leveraging over 40 years of experience in hydrometallurgical technology and advanced engineering capabilities, GHTECH has taken the lead in mastering the core technologies for the recovery and utilization of decommissioned LFP power batteries. Using a self-innovated process combining physical and chemical methods, the company became the first in China to achieve large-scale, full-component, high-quality, high-value recycling and commercialized utilization of decommissioned LFP batteries at the ten-thousand-ton scale.

By using efficient lithium extraction technology for LFP cathodes, the comprehensive lithium recovery rate from decommissioned LFP batteries exceeds 92%, with iron and phosphorus recovery rates reaching 98%. At the same time, the recycling of phosphoric acid solution has been realized, preventing the generation of large volumes of high-salinity wastewater. The regenerated iron phosphate and lithium carbonate products obtained through hydrometallurgical regeneration meet battery-grade standards and are suitable for use in both power and energy storage applications.

Additionally, the project’s participating organizations have collectively produced a series of internationally influential scientific research results, publishing 36 papers, filing 27 patents (25 invention patents and 2 utility model patents), with 8 patents already granted. The project has also established two standards for decommissioned battery residual energy detection and disassembly technology, and formulated 4 enterprise standards and 7 industry standards. One special report on "Research on Decommissioned LFP Battery Recycling Models" was written. Furthermore, the project has trained a number of scientific research and industry professionals in the field of decommissioned battery recycling, providing technical support for the rapidly growing green recycling industry for decommissioned LFP batteries.

Significant Cost Reduction for Regenerated Products and Resolving Resource Bottlenecks

In terms of economic benefits, the project has established a green recycling production line for decommissioned LFP batteries, achieving stable economic operation. The production cost of regenerated products has been significantly reduced compared to traditional production methods. As China’s new energy industry continues to grow, the country’s dependence on imported metal resources has further increased, and some resources are facing critical bottlenecks. Thus, achieving the recycling of decommissioned lithium-ion batteries can significantly reduce resource economic costs and address the resource constraints, providing a material foundation for achieving the "leapfrog" development of the new energy vehicle industry.

Creating a Key Closed-Loop in the Entire Industry Chain to Promote the Upgrade of the New Energy Industry

This project has built a ten-thousand-ton-class, low-cost, non-harmful LFP battery recycling demonstration line, creating a technology system and model for widespread application, leading the development of China's decommissioned lithium-ion battery recycling industry. By addressing critical links in power battery recycling, the project has established a closed-loop cycle across the entire industry chain of “materials, batteries, new energy vehicle manufacturing, and power battery recycling,” which will help sustain the development of the new energy vehicle industry and contribute to the transformation and upgrading of China’s automotive industry, energy structure adjustment, and environmental protection efforts.

Green and Clean Recycling of Decommissioned LFP Batteries to Promote Ecological Civilization and Green Development

In terms of environmental impact, decommissioned LFP batteries contain harmful elements such as fluorine, phosphorus, and heavy metals, as well as toxic organic substances like separators and binders, posing a significant potential threat to the environment. Through the technological system developed by the project, the green and clean recycling of decommissioned LFP batteries will promote the sustainable development of China’s new energy vehicle industry and contribute to the advancement of ecological civilization and environmental protection.