What is the most critical factor in lithium battery recycling?

Recycling and recycling of used lithium batteries has been a thankless task, but it has attracted many lithium battery companies to place their bets.

The high-tech lithium power grid noticed that the recycling of used lithium battery was rapidly heating up in 2017, and it has received more and more attention and layout from lithium- ion enterprises. These enterprises have gradually formed three majors: lithium battery materials, power battery systems and third-party organizations.

First, the lithium battery material department: represented by Huayou Cobalt, Hanrui Cobalt, Xiamen Tungsten and Tianci Materials. Such enterprises usually have the raw material supply source of upstream mineral resources, but in order to expand the raw material supply channels, ensure the stable supply of raw materials, reduce the procurement cost, improve the product's gross profit and profitability, and arrange the terminal lithium by self-built or purchased lithium battery recycling enterprises. Battery resource recycling, improve the industrial chain layout and create a closed loop of material system.

The second is the power battery system: represented by Guoxuan Hi-Tech, BYD, Ningde Times, Tianneng Power, and AVIC Lithium. These enterprises have rich lithium battery and vehicle customer resources, and have the inherent advantages of laying out lithium battery resource recycling and utilization. Under the pressure of upstream material price increases and downstream vehicle manufacturers' price reduction, the decommissioning power battery ladder utilization and lithium battery raw material recycling will be laid out by self-construction or cooperation with third-party organizations to reduce cost pressure.

The third is the third-party recycling system: represented by GEM, FangYuan Environmental Protection, Hunan Bangpu, Zhangzhou Haopeng, JinYuan New Materials, etc. These companies have been cultivating and recycling lithium batteries for many years, and have the advantages of professional recycling technology, equipment, methods, qualifications and recycling channels. With the expansion of the recycling scale of used lithium batteries and the recovery value of metals such as cobalt, nickel, manganese, lithium, iron and aluminum in lithium batteries, the recycling business of third-party recycling agencies has also risen.

Power battery recycling and reuse

In fact, the discussion of power battery recycling and reuse in the industry has been long-standing, and many companies have begun to layout in advance but the progress is not satisfactory.

According to the high-tech lithium power grid, the recycling of power lithium batteries is mainly divided into two cycles of step utilization and dismantling and recycling. However, from technology precipitation to large-scale development, it is expected that the power battery recycling market will be dismantled the lord by 2020.

According to the survey data of the High-Tech Research Institute of Lithium-Ion Research Institute (GGII), in 2016, the power battery recovery was used for dismantling less than 20,000 tons, and the power consumption of the ladder was about 0.15 million tons. It is estimated that by 2020, the power battery dismantling will reach 196,000 tons, and the ladder will use 24,500 tons of power batteries.

From the actual situation, most large-scale power battery companies and professional third-party recycling organizations are in the process of project demonstration or micro-profit operation in the recycling and recycling of used lithium batteries. Therefore, power battery recycling and resource recycling has not been obtained larger development.

However, in 2017, including Huayou Cobalt, Hanrui Cobalt, Xiamen Tungsten, Guoxuan Hi-Tech, GEM, and other materials, batteries and professional recycling agencies have increased the layout of lithium battery recycling. Behind this is the superposition of multiple factors such as policy-driven, market competition and economic benefits.

First, the power battery recycling policy is driven by regulations. With the rapid development of the new energy vehicle market, the problem of recycling of used power batteries is imminent, and relevant policies are being formulated.

Up to now, the state has introduced the "Energy Conservation and New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2012-2020)", "Electric Vehicle Power Battery Recycling Technology Policy (2015 Edition) (Consultation Draft)", "New Energy Vehicle Power" Interim Measures for the Management of Battery Recycling (Draft for Comment), "Code for Recycling and Disassembly of Vehicle Power Battery", "Recovery of Residual Energy for Vehicle Power Battery", "Specifications for Power Battery Product Size for Electric Vehicles", etc. The policy clarifies the main body of responsibility for the recycling of power batteries, professional technology, recycling system and development direction.

The industry believes that the implementation of the above policies will help establish the power battery recycling system, recycling and dismantling, professional technology, and the development direction of the industry, which will promote the industrialization of power battery recycling. .

Second, the increase in prices of upstream materials and the intensification of market competition forced the layout of enterprises to be recycled. The rapid growth of the new energy vehicle market has driven the growth in demand for upstream power batteries and lithium materials. Among them, the ternary power battery has won the favor of more vehicle companies due to its higher energy density advantage, and the market demand for ternary cathode materials and precursors has soared. Driven by market demand, the imbalance of supply and demand in raw materials such as cobalt, nickel and lithium has caused the price of raw materials to skyrocket, which has brought great pressure on downstream raw material enterprises and power battery companies in purchasing raw materials.

Under this pressure, large material companies and battery companies have begun to arrange the end lithium battery recycling, through the recovery of lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, lithium and other metal materials to ensure the supply of raw materials, reduce manufacturing costs, improve corporate integration Competitive strength.

Third, the economic benefits of power battery recycling and utilization have increased. According to industry estimates, the recovery market for metals such as cobalt, nickel, manganese, lithium, iron and aluminum recovered from used lithium batteries will exceed 5.3 billion Yuan in 2018 and will exceed 10 billion Yuan in 2020. It will exceed 25 billion Yuan and become the new blue ocean of the lithium battery market.

With the tight supply of upstream cobalt and lithium resources and the continuous increase in market demand, the demand for cobalt and lithium products for batteries and the supply of recycled waste will increase rapidly in the next few years. The future market for renewable resources is broad, and professional Recycling agencies will also benefit from this.

Objectively speaking, whether it is an upstream material enterprise or a battery enterprise or a third-party recycling organization, the above-mentioned enterprises have accelerated the layout of lithium battery recycling and reuse in order to extend the industrial layout, ensure the supply of raw materials and enhance the competitiveness of enterprises. With the further increase in the concentration of the power battery market and the intensification of competition in the future, the first deployment of lithium battery recycling will be able to seize market opportunities.

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