In response to the bullish EV market and the resultant enormous demand for cathode materials used in li-ion batteries, ITRI has participated in a research that refines black powder from waste li-ion batteries into purer, more valuable CoSO4 and CoO, both of which can be used as raw materials for li-ion battery cathodes. The research is scheduled to last three years, and ITRI has obtained the key technologies that allow it to now undertake the trial phase of mass production.
According to the Taiwanese EPA, the annual volume of recycled li-ion batteries (including those recycled from electric cars/motorcycles, electronic products, and other products that contain such batteries) in Taiwan reached about 600 tons, or about 15% of the total volume of recycled dry cells, in 2021. Now that Taiwan’s EV market contains an accumulated 80 million EVs and half a million electric scooters, the EPA expects Taiwan’s annual volume of waste li-ion batteries for 2025 to reach about 11 million tons. At the moment, Taiwan’s six processing facilities can process a maximum of about 22 million tons of these batteries, meaning these facilities possess sufficient capacity for 2025.
ITRI’s plan includes the integration of processes such as fine physical sorting, refinement, and purification in order to centrifuge and filter out key materials from the waste batteries. The results speak for themselves: domestic companies are now able to process all 1,100 tons of waste secondhand li-ion batteries and in turn not only eliminate the environmental risks posed by these batteries, but also construct a comprehensive, dedicated domestic recycling supply chain ahead of time. By doing so, ITRI is able to raise the safety considerations involved in the supply and demand of industrial materials.
ITRI indicates that its processing technology is able to filter, purify, and convert relatively low-value cathode/anode powders into CoO, which has a much higher added value at an over tenfold increase in price per kg. Other metals can also be extracted through this process, thereby providing further proof that the process makes sense in terms of economic benefits and of its adherence to the concept of total recycling. The relevant fruits of ITRI’s labor provide continued assistance to the licensed domestic processing facilities for technological upgrades. In addition, ITRI is also currently signing MOUs with responsible parties to turn research into application.
Li-ion batteries contain certain precious metals including cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese, and copper, all of which Taiwan’s industries depend on and import. The major domestic push for electric transportations has galvanized a corresponding growth for the li-ion battery market and driven up the demand for the requisite raw materials. According to the average replacement cycles of electronic products and electric transportation calculated from sales volumes, Taiwan’s annual waste li-ion batteries for 2025 will likely reach 1,100 tons.
The ITRI conducts certifications of leading cathode materials with a high degree of purity derived from waste li-ion batteries. Through finely sorting the mixed electrode powders, ITRI’s process is able to effectively remove impurities such as iron, copper, and aluminum. Afterwards, the battery is put through a gauntlet that separates and purifies its acid and base parts. Cobalt ion is leached from the materials through various reducing agents. The cathode precursors are filtered out and refined via a low-power and high-efficiency mode, with a 98% extraction rate for the cobalt within. The recycled materials are then put through a carbothermic reaction and remade into CoO with a 71.06wt% cobalt content and lower than 300ppm particulate matter in accordance with industrial raw material standards. The final step of the process involves trial mass production and certification of products manufactured with said mateirals.
Yuebin Wang, executive secretary of the Taiwanese EPA’s Recycling Fund Management Board, indicates that past methods of battery recycling in Taiwan leaves a black powder residue after most of the mixed powder containing precious metals from electrodes has been shipped overseas following the crushing process. Said black powder residue is used only as an auxiliary material in the steel refining and sold at about NT$80 per catty. The adoption of the EPA’s novel recycling process, however, yields CoO that is currently valued at NT$800 per catty – or more than 10 times the price of the residue collected from the previous process – once fine sorting and purification process is completed. Furthermore, global demand and geopolitical situations will likely propel prices of the aforementioned residue even higher. As a raw material used in batteries and other chemical processes, CoO can be recycled into the production of li-ion batteries. By doing so, not only can ITRI keep valuable resources in Taiwan, but the organization also works towards a future of circular economy via a reduce-reuse-recycle process.
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