Power battery recycling is a big problem.

It is not only about industrial development, but also about people's health, but also about corporate responsibility and vital interests.

1 "Cluster chaos" and "smoky miasma"

Decommissioned batteries are swept in by the overwhelming force. According to statistics from domestic consulting agencies, as of the end of 2019, the number of new energy vehicles in the country has exceeded 3.81 million. According to the average service life of power batteries of 5-7 years, by 2020, the cumulative scale of domestic retired power batteries may reach 200,000 tons.

There is no doubt that whether such a huge number of retired people can be properly handled is a huge matter. As a practitioner in the industry said: "The harmless treatment of retired power batteries is an important foundation to support the development of the entire new energy vehicle industry. Whether the retired power batteries can be treated in a green way determines whether the new energy vehicle industry is environmentally friendly and sustainable. Development." This is definitely not a high-sounding statement.

In fact, as early as 2018, the state has introduced the "Extended Producer Responsibility System for Power Battery Recycling", requiring car companies to assume the main responsibility for battery recycling, but the progress is still slow from the perspective of OEMs. As for battery manufacturers and power battery recycling and processing companies, although the overall development shows a diversified trend, the recycling volume is still small.

Statistics show that as of the beginning of 2020, although there are about 3,000 companies in my country whose business scope includes "battery recycling", there are more than 700 new companies in 2019 alone. However, the actual recycling volume of used power batteries is less than 20,000 tons, and the recycling rate is only 10%.

At present, the scientificity and effectiveness of the battery recycling supervision system need to be established urgently. It is reported that the current market chaos of traditional automobile scrapping and recycling has not been effectively managed. Most scrapped automobiles and power batteries have been informally acquired and dismantled. The recycling process has not been effectively supervised, and the recycling locations are remote. Not only that, unqualified individuals and small workshops illegally recycle power batteries and directly discharge waste, which has caused serious environmental pollution in some areas.

Previously, some media reported the "clumps of chaos" and "smog" in the field of battery recycling.

"A few people rent a warehouse and send information online, and they can start recycling." A practitioner in the new energy industry in China said that there are not a few "guerrillas" recycling "guerrillas" in the surrounding areas of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Shenzhen, Guangdong, and Xinxiang, Henan.

"There is neither formal process nor compliance with environmental protection requirements, let alone any technical content. Irregular recycling is even more than formal enterprises. A few shots to change places will not only disrupt the market, but also leave hidden dangers of pollution." The practitioner Deeply concerned.

It is worth noting that complex technology has also become an important reason for the slow development of the battery recycling process. Industry analysts pointed out that the safety risk of battery recycling is still difficult to solve, because the industry's standards and systems for battery remaining life and consistency assessment are not perfect. The usage rate of each battery is not the same, and the battery models of each manufacturer are different, and even the service life of the same type of battery is different. This brings many problems to recycling.

It seems that battery recycling is a systematic project, and standardized and professional treatment is the only way.

2 "Regular Army" and "Industrial Alliance"

To carry out professional power battery recycling, many companies are taking active actions. A few days ago, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Power Battery Recycling Demonstration Project - Bartray Technology's 50,000-ton Battery Dismantling Project held a groundbreaking ceremony. It is reported that Barry Technology will build the first domestic power battery "charged physical dismantling" base in Tianjin, opening up the last kilometer of the industrial chain. By the end of 2020, the 10,000-ton production line will be the first to be built and put into use. Industry insiders pointed out that Barry Technology has "a short process chain, low operating costs, and strong economies of scale" and is highly competitive in the power battery recycling market.

In addition, in order to promote the recycling of new energy vehicle power batteries, and guide and standardize the construction and operation of power battery recycling service outlets, at the end of 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology formulated the "Guidelines for the Construction and Operation of New Energy Vehicle Power Battery Recycling Service Networks". The "Guide" requires new energy vehicle manufacturers to establish collection-type recycling service outlets in their sales areas; enterprises with more than 8,000 vehicles must establish storage-type recycling service outlets, and the collection-type recycling service outlets store waste power batteries no more than 5 tons, storage type not less than 30 tons.

According to national regulations, car companies are responsible for recycling waste power batteries of new energy vehicles, and manufacturers will rely on 4S stores to establish battery recycling outlets. Generally speaking, after recycling the used power battery, the recycling network will send it back to the car company. After the initial identification, the car company will hand it over to the local designated cascade utilization enterprise or recycling enterprise according to the degree of battery attenuation.

It is understood that most of the regular domestic manufacturers involved in battery recycling are third-party recycling companies such as Guanghua Technology, GEM, Ganzhou Highpower, Hunan Bangpu, etc., as well as lithium battery material companies such as Huayou Cobalt, Tianci Materials, etc., power battery Production enterprises such as CATL, BYD, Guoxuan Hi-Tech, etc.

In terms of strategic layout, there are very few car companies fighting alone. The general trend is to choose to cooperate with third-party recycling companies or battery production companies. At present, the largest power battery recycling cooperation organization in China belongs to more than ten companies such as Changan, BYD, Yinlong New Energy, and the China Tower Recycling Alliance.

"In addition to breakthroughs in key technologies, the recycling of power batteries in the future must be achieved through mutual cooperation among OEMs, battery companies, material companies, cascade utilization companies, and recycling companies to achieve a complete industrial chain model of mutual benefit and win-win." An industry insider Express.

According to estimates by industry institutions, the economic scale of the power battery recycling market will exceed 10 billion yuan in 2020. Even if it has reached a scale of 10 billion yuan, the recycling market of power batteries is still far from its peak. It is expected that this market will expand to about 85 billion yuan in 2025; by 2030, with the further popularization of global electrification, recycling The scale is expected to exceed 120 billion yuan.

It is not difficult to foresee that the blue ocean of the power battery recycling industry is slowly forming, and the future prospects are very broad. In the next stage, with various capitals starting to enter the market, the market of "clumps of chaos" and "black smoke" will also be regulated. At the same time, China will also become one of the largest markets for lithium-ion battery recycling in applications such as electric vehicles and energy storage.