Experts Discuss: Progress in the Repair and Restoration of Cathode and Anode Materials [New Energy Summit]

At the 2025 (10th) New Energy Industry Expo - Lithium Battery Recycling Forum hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., Ai Wuyun, founder and chairman of Shenzhen Xinmao New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., shared insights on the topic of "Progress in Cathode and Anode Material Repair and Restoration." **Purpose and Significance of Lithium Battery Recycling** **Purpose:** - Efficient resource utilization: Reduce dependence on primary mineral sources and alleviate resource shortage pressures. - Environmental protection: Mitigate environmental pollution risks. - Cost reduction: Meet industry demands for cost reduction. - Technological breakthroughs: Address low recovery rates and performance degradation issues. **Significance:** Promote a circular economy, support the sustainable development of the new energy industry, foster the growth of emerging industries, enhance strategic resource security, save energy and reduce carbon emissions, fulfill international responsibilities, and achieve high-value utilization. **Future LFP Battery Share to Exceed 80%** China's NEV power battery installations are growing rapidly. Building a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy system; by 2024, China's NEV penetration rate will reach 40%, accounting for 70.5% of the global market. **Continuous Improvement of LFP Batteries** Since 2021, LFP has gradually taken a dominant position; by 2024, its share will exceed 70% (reaching 74.6%) and is expected to grow further in the future. **Future Battery Scrap Recycling to Be Dominated by LFP** Media data shows that LFP will account for 61.2% of the recycling volume in 2024. By 2029, LFP recycling volume is expected to reach 2.531 million mt, ternary battery recycling volume to reach 1.0404 million mt, and LCO recycling volume to reach 75,400 mt. The growth rate of LFP recycling volume will be significant in the later stages, while LCO recycling volume will remain basically flat. **Recycling Routes for End-of-Life LFP Batteries** The core competitiveness of recycling technology lies in cost control during the recycling process, focusing on recovery rate, performance, quality, carbon reduction, energy efficiency, and environmental friendliness. **Advantages of Physical Repair and Restoration** Current status: Hydrometallurgy dominates (over 99%), with repair and restoration as a supplementary method. Future prediction: Repair and restoration will dominate, with hydrometallurgy as a supplementary method; the recovery rate of various components of end-of-life batteries will gradually approach theoretical values. **Progress in LFP Recycling** **Regenerated LFP - Product Iteration** **Improvement Measures** - Technological innovation to enhance product performance. - Improved raw material screening: Multiple screenings of raw materials, increased automated identification, and reduced risk of foreign material contamination. - Optimized production processes: Establish calcination process windows, set reaction atmospheres and partial pressures, and reduce process interruptions. - Development of demagnetization equipment: Develop demagnetization equipment suitable for LFP scrap recycling to perform powder demagnetization. - Environmental optimization: Demagnetization and dust removal in the environment. **Regenerated LFP - Magnetic Substance Improvement** The improved magnetic substances have been reduced and remain relatively stable. a. Post-improvement average reduction of 56%. b. Sigma (σ) reduction of 40%. **Regenerated LFP - Magnetic Metal Particle Improvement** The improved product shows a significant reduction in magnetic particles: a 46.67% reduction, with all ≤50 Pcs/kg. **Regenerated LFP - Impurity Element Improvement (Ni, Mn, Co, Cu, Al)** **Regenerated LFP - Battery K Value Before and After Improvement** The battery K value has significantly decreased, further improving product quality. After pouch battery disassembly, no abnormalities were found in the separator. **Progress in Graphite Recycling** **Technological Innovation** The complex composition of impurities makes graphite purification a significant challenge. Xinmao has designed box furnaces and internal series furnaces, increasing furnace loading capacity by more than three times compared to traditional high-temperature furnaces, greatly improving consistency while reducing costs and carbon emissions. The purity of purified regenerated graphite reaches 99.95%, significantly enhancing its industrial application value. **Recycling of Anode Graphite** Currently, top-tier enterprises B and C account for over 70% of the lithium-ion battery market share, indicating high market concentration. Both B and C use artificial graphite for anode materials, and Xinmao purchases pole pieces from these top-tier enterprises (B and C). **Regenerated Graphite Products** **Application Scenarios and Future Plans** The application scenarios for repaired materials continue to expand: communication energy storage, small power, home storage, commercial and industrial energy storage, and automotive. **Future Plans** 1. Follow large battery and vehicle manufacturers to go global for supporting projects. 2. Repair and restore end-of-life batteries. 3. Apply LFP and graphite in the automotive power market. Recycling is a key link in achieving a closed-loop cycle in the lithium battery industry chain; Xinmao is committed to realizing "green regeneration, infinite driving range." **Click to view the special report on the 2025 (10th) New Energy Industry Expo.**