Lithium Battery Recycling Plant Setup

By 2026, the global volume of end-of-life power batteries is set to exceed 3 million tonnes. This represents an increase of over 36% compared to 2025. The lithium-ion battery recycling industry is poised for explosive growth. Driven by the ‘Dual Carbon’ policy, the lithium-ion battery resource recovery sector is entering a phase of rapid, large-scale development. A large number of market players are expanding their production capacity, with many companies establishing lithium-ion battery recycling plants. For newcomers looking to enter the lithium-ion battery recycling sector, there are undoubtedly many questions. Today, VICTOR MACHINERY will provide a detailed guide to the process of establishing a lithium-ion battery recycling plant.

The following requirements must be met to establish a used lithium-ion battery recycling plant:

Lithium-ion Battery Recycling Licence

Lithium-ion battery recycling falls under the category of solid waste management. In certain countries and regions, it is classified as hazardous waste management. Therefore, compliance is the most fundamental requirement. You must first consult your local environmental protection authorities to ascertain the necessary licences and certifications. Failure to do so constitutes illegal operation.

Business Licenc

The scope of business must include: the recycling, processing, discharging, resource recovery, and dismantling of used lithium-ion batteries, particularly those from electric vehicles. This is a fundamental qualification requirement.

Environmental Impact Assessment Approval

First, consult the local environmental protection department. Then, ascertain the relevant documents required. It is essential to provide detailed treatment plans for pollutants such as wastewater, exhaust gases and solid waste. Subsequently, submit the ‘Environmental Impact Assessment Report’ to the local environmental protection department. The environmental protection authorities will assess compliance and feasibility. The report will directly influence the successful approval of the environmental assessment.

Hazardous Waste Treatment Licence

This licence must be approved by the local ecological and environmental protection authorities. They will rigorously examine whether your lithium battery recycling plant’s premises, recycling machinery, technical staff, environmental treatment equipment and fire safety facilities meet professional standards. Therefore, please communicate thoroughly with the relevant authorities in advance to clarify the required conditions and documentation, thereby improving the efficiency of the approval process.

Channels for the Collection of Waste Lithium-Ion Batteries

Once all the necessary licences and certifications have been obtained, the most crucial step is to secure a stable and sufficient supply of waste lithium-ion batteries. A reliable, long-term supply of waste lithium-ion batteries is one of the key prerequisites for this industry. Without a source of waste lithium-ion batteries, it will be impossible to implement any subsequent plans. The collection channels will directly impact future economic returns. We therefore recommend proactively seeking out and developing diverse collection channels:

• Vehicle dismantling and repair workshops: Waste automotive power batteries have a specific end-of-life period, typically with a service life of 5–8 years. Consequently, waste automotive battery packs are frequently found in vehicle dismantling and repair workshops. These facilities possess a long-term, stable and substantial supply of waste lithium-ion batteries. It is advisable to negotiate with regional agents to secure long-term supply agreements.
  Battery manufacturers: The production of lithium-ion batteries generates approximately 30% in scrap and offcuts. These typically include cathode and anode sheets, as well as un-electrolytised lithium-ion cells. Battery manufacturers also possess substantial quantities of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. Consequently, they represent a key channel for lithium-ion battery recycling.
• Consolidating scattered collection points: Collecting through community recycling centres and scrap collection points. However, it is important to note that the quality of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries varies considerably. We recommend using a spectrometer to test the metal content during the recycling process. This helps avoid collecting batteries that are not cost-effective to recycle. However, whilst this recycling channel yields small volumes, the recycling prices are very low.
• Consequently, investors need to invest a significant amount of time and effort in market research during the initial stages. They should establish extensive contacts with potential suppliers to ensure a stable raw material supply chain. This will prevent the lithium-ion battery recycling business from stalling due to a ‘shortage of raw materials’.

Selection of Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Machine

A complete lithium-ion battery recycling production line primarily comprises pre-treatment, deep discharge, multi-stage crushing and sorting, environmental treatment, and a PLC-based intelligent control system. Currently, dry mechanical crushing, intelligent sorting and environmentally friendly processes have become the mainstream trend. Most enterprises have achieved a 98% recovery rate for waste lithium-ion batteries, facilitating the efficient operation of projects with an annual production capacity of 10,000 tonnes.

1. Pre-treatment: Automotive battery packs and battery modules undergo preliminary disassembly. Disassembly equipment first cleans the battery packs, registers them in the inventory, and performs traceability checks. This involves the initial separation of retired automotive battery packs into individual cells.
2. Deep Discharge: Automotive battery packs and battery modules are discharged using specialised load resistors. This reduces the voltage of the automotive battery packs to below safe levels. Individual waste lithium-ion cells undergo deep discharge via equipment such as needle-puncture discharge units. This prepares them for subsequent crushing and sorting.
3. Crushing and Sorting: Waste lithium-ion batteries are fed into lithium-ion battery recycling machine. The material undergoes multiple stages, including multi-stage crushing, fine screening, magnetic separation and gravity separation. This process transforms the raw materials into valuable finished products (Black Mass, copper, aluminium, plastic, iron casings, etc.). This step is the most critical, as it directly impacts the selling price of the valuable materials in subsequent stages!
4. Environmental Treatment Equipment: Exhaust gases and dust generated during the production process are purified using environmental treatment equipment. After thorough purification, emissions are discharged at a high altitude in compliance with standards. It should be noted that the exhaust gas purification equipment required varies according to the environmental policies of different countries and regions. Currently, the most advanced environmental treatment equipment includes cyclone spray towers and catalytic combustion equipment (RTO/RCO).
5. Resource Recovery Equipment: This includes high-temperature Black Mass roasting furnaces and Black Mass hydrometallurgical extraction equipment. This enables high-purity refinement, the treatment of hazardous components, and the resource recovery of valuable materials.
6. Intelligent Control System: The entire production line utilises a PLC-based intelligent control system to ensure compliance and automated operation. It can be integrated with on-site centralised control systems.

The current mainstream technological trend in the industry is the physical recycling route involving dry crushing and multi-stage sorting. Compared to traditional wet processing methods, this approach consumes less energy and faces lower environmental pressure, making it suitable for the vast majority of large-scale recycling projects.

Lithium Battery Recycling Plant Setup

The above outlines all the steps involved in establishing a lithium-ion battery recycling plant. If you have any further questions regarding lithium-ion battery recycling, please contact us. We provide comprehensive lithium-ion battery recycling machine to help you clarify your approach to setting up a recycling facility.

The URL for this article is: https://www.victorsmachine.com/faq/lithium-battery-recycling-plant-setup/ Please credit the source when reposting. Thank you.