The global power battery retirement wave has arrived in 2025. According to industry data, the global scrap volume of power lithium batteries will surge to 1.5 million tons this year, with China’s domestic retirement volume expected to reach 820,000 tons. Amid this unprecedented development of "urban mines," Jiangxi Mingxin Environmental Protection Equipment Co., Ltd. has extracted high-purity copper particles from waste lithium batteries through advanced crushing and recycling technology. These particles have become a key link in the new energy circular economy, providing a sustainable resource solution for the global energy transition.
Dual Value of Copper Particles: A Win-Win for Economy and Environmental Protection
In the structure of lithium batteries, copper plays a crucial role as the negative electrode current collector. Data shows that copper foil accounts for 8%-13% of the total mass of a typical lithium battery, and the copper content in ternary lithium batteries is as high as 14.3%. Leveraging its annual processing capacity of 30,000 tons of waste lithium batteries, Jiangxi Mingxin can recover 2,400-3,900 tons of high-purity copper particles annually. Based on the current market value, these copper resources are worth approximately 120-195 million CNY, accounting for over 55% of the total recycling value of batteries.
In terms of environmental benefits, recycled copper has significant advantages. Compared with primary copper mining, recycled copper saves 85% of energy consumption, and its comprehensive energy consumption is only 30% of that of primary copper. Calculated based on Jiangxi Mingxin’s annual processing scale, this alone can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 28,000 tons per year, equivalent to the environmental benefit of planting 156,000 trees. In 2022, China’s recycled copper industry already achieved a remarkable reduction of 10.5 million tons of carbon emissions, and enterprises like Jiangxi Mingxin are becoming core forces in this green transformation.
Technology-Driven Recycling Revolution
The complete lithium battery recycling line built by Jiangxi Mingxin demonstrates the power of technological innovation. This production line integrates core equipment such as hammer crushers, gravity separators, and magnetic separators. Through a full-process technology of "crushing-grinding-multi-stage separation," it achieves a black mass recovery rate of ≥97%. In particular, the negative pressure system composed of a pulse dust collector and a high-pressure blower not only ensures zero dust emission during production but also accurately separates copper particles with a purity of over 99.5%, fully meeting the raw material standards for lithium battery remanufacturing.
Compared with traditional pyrometallurgy, this physical and mechanical recycling process avoids energy waste and secondary pollution caused by high-temperature smelting. The latest EU battery regulations require the recovery rate of metals such as copper to reach over 85%, and Jiangxi Mingxin’s technical indicators have far exceeded this standard, laying a technical foundation for Chinese recycling enterprises to participate in international competition.
Supporting the Global New Energy Industry Chain
Against the backdrop of the global lithium battery recycling market expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.49%, the stable supply of copper particles has become a key guarantee for the security of the industrial chain. The introduction of China’s Implementation Rules for Subsidies on the Renewal of New Energy Urban Buses and Power Batteries in 2025 has not only accelerated the recycling process of retired batteries but also stimulated huge demand for high-quality recycled copper. The copper particles produced by Jiangxi Mingxin have become an important part of the closed-loop supply chain of power battery manufacturers, effectively alleviating the shortage of domestic copper ore resources.
Industry forecasts indicate that by 2030, China’s power battery retirement volume will exceed 4 million tons, and the corresponding recycling industry scale will surpass 280 billion CNY. Through technological innovation, enterprises like Jiangxi Mingxin have transformed "e-waste" into valuable resources in "urban mines." Each ton of copper they recover reduces reliance on primary copper mining areas such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), providing a replicable Chinese solution for the sustainable development of the global new energy industry.
As copper prices remain at a high level for a long time, the economic value of recycled copper has become increasingly prominent. Jiangxi Mingxin’s practice proves that waste lithium battery recycling is not only a manifestation of environmental responsibility but also can create considerable economic benefits. This development model of "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" is reshaping the value chain of the global energy transition.
