Three Taiwanese companies have joined forces to establish Taiwan's first comprehensive, closed-loop recycling system for lithium batteries, covering every step from battery disassembly to the production of new cathode materials.
Lianyou Metals, a leader in rare metal recycling, has announced that its subsidiary, Lianyou Resources, is collaborating with lithium battery recycling specialist Ming Ren Resources Technology, and Uranus Chemicals, a subsidiary of dedicated lithium battery cathode material maker CoreMax, to form the Lithium Battery Circular Sustainability Alliance.
Under this partnership, Ming Ren Resources will handle the disassembly and pre-treatment of decommissioned lithium batteries. Lianyou Resources will extract and purify valuable metals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt from the processed battery black mass. Uranus Chemicals will refine these materials into automotive-grade battery cathodes, which will be reintegrated into the EV battery supply chain, completing the recycling loop.
Yung-chung Wu, president of Lianyou Metals, stressed that this alliance creates Taiwan's first closed-loop battery-to-battery recycling ecosystem. He highlighted that the endeavor will significantly help Taiwan's lithium battery industry lower manufacturing costs, extend product life cycles, lower carbon emissions, and reduce the reliance on imported rare metals. Initially focusing on ternary lithium batteries, Wu continued, that the alliance will also explore iron-lithium battery recycling in the future.
CoreMax chairman Jim Ho revealed that after 3-4 years of collaboration, the alliance is now operational and has secured orders. He also disclosed that by 2025, European electric vehicles in Taiwan will be using battery materials refined by the alliance, signaling its expansion into international markets.
According to estimates from Taiwan's Ministry of Environment and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), decommissioned battery volume is expected to rise significantly, from the current 1,000 tons to 30,000 tons by 2034, driven by the growing adoption of electric vehicles, buses, and energy storage systems.
Wu also projected that the economic value of recycling rare metals from decommissioned batteries will soar from NT$500 million (US$15.69 million) to NT$4.2 billion by 2034. However, Taiwan's current battery recycling efforts remain fragmented, with some valuable resources even being exported. He further highlighted the impact of the EU's new battery regulations, which require higher proportions of recycled materials in new batteries, boosting demand for rare metals such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel.
