【Domestic Dynamics: Sunwoda 50,000-Ton Battery Recycling Phase I Begins Production】 Tengzhou Sunwoda's Phase I lithium-ion battery recycling project has commenced full production in 2026. Spanning 200 acres, the facility fills a critical downstream gap in the regional new energy supply chain. ​Operating on a closed-loop model, its 1.1-km automated line can process 50,000 tons of waste batteries annually—equivalent to recycling 60,000 EVs. ​The highly automated line integrates dismantling, pyrolysis, crushing, and restoration, achieving a 98.5% core element recovery rate to produce high-value black mass. ​By converting waste into lithium, nickel, and cobalt, the project resolves local material shortages and enhances regional supply chain security.

On April 8, the Lianyungang Ecological Environment Bureau released the acceptance public notice for the environmental impact report of the "Jiangsu Dejia Circular Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. Annual Resource Utilization of 50,000 Tons of Spent Lithium-Ion Battery Project." The project will construct one cascade utilization line and two recycling lines, achieving an annual resource utilization capacity of 50,000 tons of spent lithium-ion batteries, including ternary and spent lithium iron phosphate batteries. About 60% of the recovered waste batteries meet cascade utilization requirements, with the remainder entering recycling. Final production capacity:

[Lead-acid Battery Market Dynamics] It is reported that Tianneng Group Guizhou Energy Technology Co., Ltd., located in the Taijiang Economic Development Zone in Guizhou, according to Pang Mingduo, Deputy General Manager of the company: "Currently, the automation rate of the factory's production lines has reached 95%, and capacity has doubled compared to the initial stage. Daily production of new energy batteries has surged from 40,000 units to 135,000 units. Every year, 40,000 mt of waste batteries are recycled and handed over to Guizhou Qizhen Industrial Group Co., Ltd. for processing. The secondary lead they produce can meet 70% of Tianneng's raw material needs."

Three weeks ago until now, the shortage of remelted lead in domestic SEA countries has become significantly more severe. According to SMM’s internal survey, smelters in Malaysia, Vietnam, and India are unable to secure remelted lead to produce refined lead of 99.99% and 99.97%. This tight supply of remelted lead is pushing both domestic and international trading prices of refined lead higher across the mentioned-above regions.

German company, Tozero, announced on March 27 (local time) the official launch of its industrial-scale demonstration plant. The company has built a facility at the Gendorf chemical park in Bavaria, Germany, capable of processing more than 1,500 tons of waste batteries annually. The process enables the recovery of lithium carbonate, graphite, and nickel-cobalt mixtures from spent batteries for reuse as battery raw materials. The plant is expected to recycle resources equivalent to batteries from approximately 6,000 electric vehicles per year, reducing reliance on landfill disposal.

China Carbon Neutral Development Group Limited announced a voluntary strategic cooperation agreement signed in March 2026 between its wholly-owned subsidiary, Xunli Technology, and Hubei Liming Lithium. This partnership aims to jointly promote lithium battery recycling and utilization. Key cooperation areas include recycling network collaboration, small power battery PACK development, supply chain finance support, new energy scenario development ("photovoltaic - energy storage - charging - swapping"), and overseas market expansion. Hubei Liming Lithium, a high-tech enterprise, anticipates processing 20,000 tons of waste batteries by 2026 with a recovery rate exceeding 95% and an annual output value over 400 million yuan.