China is accelerating electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling as end-of-life battery volumes continue to rise, with nearly 400,000 tons generated in 2025 and more than 1 million tons expected by 2030.

At Brunp Recycling, a subsidiary of battery maker CATL in Hubei Province, retired batteries are tracked through a national digital traceability system before being dismantled, discharged, and processed. Valuable materials, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, are recovered from “black mass” using advanced recycling technology.

The company achieves recovery rates of 99.6 percent for nickel, cobalt, and manganese and 96.5 percent for lithium. These materials are refined into high-purity lithium carbonate and iron phosphate, which are used to produce new high-performance EV batteries.

The complete recycling process takes about one week and supports a circular economy by reducing reliance on mined raw materials while improving battery design for easier future recycling.

Source: People’s Daily