A stumbling block on the development of lithium power batteries - recycling and safety issues

I once asked the industry experts for advice, and hoped that experts could make a prediction for the 2018 lithium battery market. Experts candidly answer, just as some experts predicted that oil prices would fall in early 2017 and oil prices rose in the same year. Past experience tells us that some intuitive predictions are often one-sided. It is necessary to start with the details and continue to correct them in order to control the development direction of the entire industry.

After listening to the experts, I recalled the experience of the industry and felt deeply. Two things were shared with you:

Battery recycling does not make money? Is the use of the ladder a "pseudo-proposition"?

Since April 2017, China Chemical and Physical Power Industry Association Power Battery Application Branch and Battery China Network have conducted a large number of field visits and research on domestic lithium battery companies. At that time, the voice of centralized feedback was that the battery recycling industry was too difficult, the recycling cost was too high, and the battery recycling industry almost became a public welfare undertaking. For the problem of power battery ladder utilization, the industry's view is also very sad. The use of the ladder is a face project, and the sound of the "pseudo-proposition" is endless.

However, in less than a year, whether it is battery recycling or ladder utilization, the two major recycling industries are ushered in a big change. With the rise in the price of cobalt and lithium, more and more companies are planning to lay out on “recycling”. In the near future, the actions of Tianyuan New Energy and China Tower are a good proof.

Recently, Tianyuan New Energy intends to invest 1 billion yuan to build Guangxi Tianyuan lithium battery materials and lithium battery recycling project settled in Qinzhou Port of Guangxi. The first phase of the project plans to invest 500 million yuan to build a 20,000-ton/year battery-grade lithium carbonate production line and supporting public works projects. The second phase plans to invest 500 million yuan to build a 50,000-ton/year battery-grade trimanganese tetraoxide production line and a 10,000-ton/year power lithium battery recycling unit.

China Iron Tower Corporation and 16 companies including Yinlong New Energy, BYD, Thornton New Energy, Guoxuan Hi-Tech and Waterma held a signing ceremony for the strategic partnership agreement for the recycling of new energy vehicles. At the same time, the signing of agreements with 16 companies is enough to see the importance of the company's recycling of power batteries. It is understood that the company is mainly engaged in the construction, maintenance and operation of base station supporting facilities and indoor distribution systems such as communication towers. It is currently the world's largest communication infrastructure service company. As early as 2015, the company started the trial of the battery application. The company has built 57 test sites in 9 provinces, and signed a contract with 16 companies. It also shows that the economic benefits of the “segment utilization” power battery have been initially recognized by the market.

During the power battery application branch and the battery China network research Yiwei Lithium Energy, Liu Jin, the chairman of Yiwei Lithium Energy, once told the battery China network that the efficiency of battery recycling is mainly based on the scale of recycling. The rising production costs brought about by the increase in upstream mine prices will cause more battery companies to think about the issue of resource recycling. Therefore, the development of the battery cycle industry is only a matter of time.

Is there a “safety issue” in the power battery energy density of 300Wh/kg in 2020?

Energy density is something that people in the industry love and hate. Making batteries with high energy density, high cycle times and high safety is the professional ideal of lithium battery practitioners. The country directly links subsidies and energy density. "By 2020, The new lithium-ion power battery unit has a specific energy of more than 300 watt-hours/kg, and the system's specific energy strives to reach 260 watt-hours/kg. It also makes countless lithium battery practitioners frown.

Some experts said that the safety of high-energy energy batteries is yet to be verified. The higher the specific energy, the greater the safety risk, the more serious the accident disaster, the power battery with energy density of 300Wh/kg, and the safety application of new energy vehicles should not be widely used in 2020. Neglect. Judging from the current development of the industry, this practice is open to question. Then, in 2020, can a power battery with an energy density of 300 Wh/kg be able to get on the train? What about security?

The bearers and leaders of the two major scientific research projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology - Lishen Battery and Guoxuan Hi-Tech gave the answer.

In April 2017, the website of the Ministry of Science and Technology revealed that the national key project “High Specific Energy Density Lithium Ion Power Battery Development and Industrialization Technology Research” led by Tianjin Lishen Battery Co., Ltd. has made progress in stages, and the development has been completed. The power battery with a body energy density of 260Wh/kg is 30% higher than the power battery commonly used in electric vehicles. At the same time, power battery samples with a monomer energy density of 280Wh/kg and 300Wh/kg have been developed.

In May 2017, the website of the Ministry of Science and Technology revealed that the project “Development and Integration of High Specific Energy Power lithium ion battery” led by Hefei Guoxuan Gaoke Power Energy Co., Ltd. has made progress. The project research team developed battery cell samples with energy densities of 281Wh/kg and 302Wh/kg.

I once visited the two companies on the spot. The relevant responsible persons of the two companies have said that the current research project is in full swing and progresses smoothly. It is expected that the relevant technical requirements of the country can be reached in advance.

Qin Xingcai, the vice chairman of China Power God Co., Ltd. and the party secretary of Tianjin Lishen Battery Co., Ltd., said that the high-energy energy battery products of Lishen Battery have the corresponding chemical system as the support, and the product launch has a corresponding time plan to market. The promoted products have undergone rigorous inspection and testing, and the safety performance meets the national mandatory requirements.

Conclusion

This is what I wants to share with you. As experts have said, the prediction is based on a large number of factual judgments. The lithium industry has made new progress every day under the unremitting efforts of the Chinese people. The details determine success or failure. Only by constantly understanding the latest and most authentic information of the industry and constantly correcting their own forward direction can we have a better grasp of the development of the industry. For the media, for the enterprise, it is the same for the majority of lithium battery practitioners. If you dare to do the "right" thing, you must dare to overthrow the "right" thing. Only in this way can the lithium industry be stronger and the country can strengthen and strengthen.

The page contains the contents of the machine translation.