How To Start A Battery Recycling Business?

The phase-out period for new energy vehicle batteries is accelerating. By 2025, waste lithium batteries will exceed 1.4 million tonnes. However, operating without certification, selecting an unsuitable location, or using inadequate lithium battery recycling machine can all lead to significant losses. Therefore, if you wish to establish a battery recycling business or set up a lithium battery recycling plant, please review the following introductory guide.

Obtaining Qualifications:

Lithium battery recycling falls under hazardous waste management. Compliance is therefore a fundamental prerequisite. Before selecting a site or purchasing lithium battery recycling machine, you must first obtain the necessary certification. Otherwise, your operation will be considered illegal.

Business Licence

The scope of operations must explicitly include: recycling, disposal, and resource recovery of waste lithium batteries. This forms the foundation for lawful operation.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Engage a qualified testing agency to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment Report. This must clearly outline specific treatment plans for pollutants such as wastewater, waste gases, and solid waste. The compliance and feasibility of proposed treatment methods directly influence EIA approval. Site location and equipment environmental parameters significantly impact the EIA application process.

Hazardous Waste Management Permit

This licence requires approval from local ecological and environmental authorities. Regions with stringent requirements may additionally mandate site inspections to verify that lithium battery recycling machinery, technology, and personnel meet professional standards. It is advisable to engage in thorough advance consultations with relevant departments to clarify specific requirements and prepare documentation, thereby enhancing approval efficiency.

lithium battery recycling plant

Site Selection:

Plant Location

Positioned away from residential areas, educational institutions, and water sources. Maintain a minimum distance of 500 metres from water sources; greater distance facilitates EIA approval. Proximity to roads or motorways facilitates raw material and finished product logistics. As lithium batteries constitute hazardous waste, transport costs exceed standard goods by over 30%. Therefore, proximity to logistics hubs significantly reduces transportation expenditure.

Site Area

For an initial annual processing capacity of 1,000–5,000 tonnes, a site area of 2,000–3,000 square metres is sufficient. This should accommodate: raw material storage, recycling processing workshops, finished product warehouses, environmental protection facilities, and ancillary storage areas. Crucially, the raw material storage area must be physically separated from the recycling processing workshops.

Supporting Facilities

An independent wastewater treatment tank (capable of storing at least three days’ worth of wastewater) is mandatory. An explosion-proof ventilation system is required, as battery disassembly may generate flammable or explosive gases. The ground surface must be hardened (to prevent electrolyte seepage contaminating soil; 30cm thick concrete with anti-corrosion coating is necessary).

Raw Material Collection:

Once all necessary licences and permits are secured, the critical task is securing a stable and sufficient supply chain. A reliable source of waste lithium batteries constitutes one of the industry’s key entry requirements. Without a stable supply, all subsequent plans will prove unworkable. It is advisable to proactively develop the market and establish diversified channels:

Liaise with collection points: Establish connections with automotive repair shops, electric vehicle maintenance outlets, and mobile phone repair centres to recover their waste lithium batteries.
Contact battery manufacturers: Explore sourcing ‘end-of-life batteries’ from new energy vehicle manufacturers or ‘defective cells’ from battery producers. Both generate substantial volumes of scrap; negotiate with regional agents to secure long-term supply agreements.
Scattered collection points: Gather batteries through community collection points, scrap collection stations, etc. Note: Conduct thorough inspections upon receipt. Discount batteries with swelling appropriately. Separately handle leaking batteries to mitigate safety risks.

Raw Material Collection: Waste Battery

Selecting lithium battery recycling machine

Equipment represents the largest upfront investment. However, higher-priced machines are not necessarily superior. Instead, identify equipment suited to your specific requirements. Consider the following when selecting equipment:

• Compatibility: Can a single production line process cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch batteries? Can it separate NMC and LFP chemistries? Crucially, establish clear categorisation for different lithium battery types. Focus on processing one category at a time to prevent cross-contamination of battery materials. Mixed BLACK MASS significantly reduces recovery value.
• Recovery Efficiency and Effectiveness: Ensure equipment efficiently recovers waste lithium batteries. Secondly, consider overall recovery rates. Victor Machinery’s lithium battery recyclers achieve comprehensive recovery rates exceeding 98%. Recovered scrap metals attain purity levels above 95%, with BLACK MASS purity surpassing 98%. This facilitates subsequent hydrometallurgical extraction. Excessive metal content in BLACK MASS significantly diminishes its value and complicates downstream hydrometallurgical metal recovery.

Selecting lithium battery recycling machine

In summary, the lithium battery recycling market holds promising prospects. However, establishing a lithium battery recycling plant requires careful preparation and systematic advancement at every stage: clarifying industry demands, securing supply sources, understanding technologies, and selecting appropriate lithium battery recycling machinery. Should you wish to learn more about lithium battery recycling, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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