On March 12, PHYLION New Materials and BOTREE signed an agreement to develop a new project for recycling NEV power batteries in the Huaibei Hi-Tech Recycling Industrial Park. The project is set to have a processing capacity of 40,000 tons per year. The industrial park is located in China’s Anhui Province.
The first phase of the project spans an area of around 88 mu and entails an investment of more than RMB 1 billion. PHYLION and BOTREE aim to create to the world’s first for the followings: (1) a standard processing line for the recycling of Li-ion batteries that have a manganese-based cathode, and (2) a processing line that is thousands of tons in scale for repairing and inspection of cathode components based on lithium manganate and LFP.
The project represents an integration of PHYLION’s resources and a realization of the company’s fourth-generation technology for battery recycling. In addition to reclaiming metals from decommissioned NEV power batteries, the project will enable to the reuse of battery scraps and qualification of products related to battery materials. PHYLION and BOTREE will form a complete closed-loop circulation, starting from disassembling of battery modules to disassembling of battery cells, recovery of key materials, manufacturing of battery cells, and manufacturing of battery modules. Once the project is up and running, PHYLION will be able to extend its presence across the entire industry or supply chain for NEV batteries. Operating as a major battery recycling base, the project will serve as a demonstration of its kind on both provincial and national levels. Furthermore, it will be a hub within the battery recycling network in the eastern part of the country.
After achieving full-scale production, the first phase of the project is forecasted to generate an annual sales revenue of RMB 550 million. The battery recycling line in the project is expected to deliver a high rate for the recovery of important metals (e.g., manganese, cobalt, nickel, and lithium) from battery wastes. Turning to the cathode repair and inspection line, it is expected to obtain battery-grade electrodes from retired batteries through a high-precision separation and refurbish process. All in all, both lines will greatly improve the efficiency of the recycling of NEV power batteries.
PHYLION New Materials is a subsidiary established by PHYLION in 2021 and specializes in the recycling of Li-ion batteries featuring a manganese cathode. The parent company PHYLION has been involved in the Li-ion battery industry for nearly 20 years. Its products are widely used in electric cars, light electric vehicles, and energy storage equipment for homes and businesses.
As for BOTREE, its mission is to assist renewable and new energy sectors in meeting their targets related to environmental protection and carbon emissions. BOTREE has a comprehensive range of solutions for recycling batteries and extracting high-value metals from battery wastes. The company also provides consulting, technical support, engineering design, and smart equipment capable of processing thousands of tons of battery wastes. Its customers include those on the list of Fortune 500 plus the leading Chinese companies in the field of energy and battery. In addition its technological and technical strengths, BOTREE also has accumulated a vast amount experience in R&D, engineering, project development, product provisioning, and facility operations.
Earlier, on February 10, PHYLION and BOTREE entered into a strategic cooperation agreement. Both parties will pursue in-depth collaborations with respect to battery recycling, battery component repair, extraction of battery metals, and investments. Focusing on Li-ion batteries with a manganese-based cathode, both parties will forge a development path that leads to a higher efficiency and a higher value.
In Huaibei, PHYLION New Materials and BOTREE together will seize this opportunity to establish a multi-modal and multi-channel system for the recycling of Li-ion batteries with a manganese-based cathode. The new project will improve the utilization of rare resources such as manganese, cobalt, nickel and lithium. By complementing each other’s strengths, both parties will be able to fully capture the residual value of retired NEV power batteries.
This article is a translation of a Chinese article posted by Wendy at TrendForce. It contains information that is either sourced from other news outlets or accessible in the public domain. Some Chinese names are transcribed into English using Hanyu Pinyin.
