The current state of graphite electrode recycling demonstrates concurrent progress in technological breakthroughs and industrial scaling, with the recycling rate of waste graphite expected to rise from 15% in 2023 to 25% by 2025. The recycling technology for lithium-ion battery anode materials has achieved commercialization, and the performance of recycled graphite approaches that of virgin materials. However, the industry still faces challenges such as dominance by small workshops and a lack of technical standards.
I. Technological Breakthroughs: Commercialization of Lithium-Ion Battery Anode Recycling Technology
Continuous High-Temperature Regeneration Process
Companies like Bobang Shanhe have elevated the purity of waste graphite anode materials (including artificial, natural, and composite types) to 99.99% through continuous graphitization technology. The regenerated anode products achieve performance levels comparable to new materials. This process addresses challenges such as high impurity content and damaged crystal structures through microcrystalline structure repair and surface morphology optimization, providing critical technological support for the lithium-ion battery recycling industry.
Policy-Driven Circular Economy Initiatives
China’s 14th Five-Year Plan designates high-end graphite products as a key research focus, with insurance compensation for first-batch applications of new materials covering specialty graphite and offering subsidies of up to RMB 30 million per project. At the regional level, Weifang, Shandong, has established itself as the “Eastern Carbon Valley,” clustering 32 specialty graphite enterprises and achieving a production value exceeding RMB 8 billion in 2024, forming a regional industrial cluster.
II. Industrial Scaling: Rapid Growth in Recycling Rates and Capacity
Significant Increase in Recycling Rates
Environmental pressures are compelling enterprises to adopt greener practices. The graphitization process generates 6.8 tons of CO₂ emissions per ton, prompting leading companies to reduce emissions through green energy and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies while promoting waste graphite recycling. By 2025, the proportion of recyclable graphite products is expected to increase from 15% in 2023 to 25%, establishing a closed-loop system of “production-recycling-regeneration.”
Accelerated Deployment of Recycling Capacity
Bobang Shanhe has initiated the first phase of an annual 20,000-ton high-quality regeneration project for waste graphite anodes, while CATL has invested in the first mass production line for recycling graphite anode materials, achieving a recycling rate exceeding 90%. By 2025, the total volume of waste graphite anodes requiring recycling is projected to surpass 150,000 tons, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40%, indicating substantial market potential.
III. Industry Challenges: Dominance of Small Workshops and Lack of Standards
High Proportion of Informal Recycling
The lithium-ion battery recycling market has long been dominated by small workshops, which account for 70% of the sector. Illegal dismantling leads to leaks of carcinogens (e.g., nickel compounds) and corrosive substances (e.g., hydrogen fluoride), posing risks to the environment and human health. The graphite electrode recycling industry faces similar issues, with informally recycled graphite materials exhibiting inconsistent quality and failing to meet high-end application requirements.
Incomplete Technical Standards and Regulatory Frameworks
Despite technological advancements by leading enterprises, the industry lacks unified recycling standards and certification systems. International environmental standards such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) impose stricter carbon footprint requirements on graphite electrodes, necessitating the rapid establishment of a closed-loop recycling system and enhanced technological competitiveness among domestic companies.
IV. Future Trends: High-End, Intelligent, and Green Development
Technology Integration Driving Efficiency Improvements
Digital twin technology enables dynamic simulation of process parameters with over 90% accuracy in predicting machining defects, while adaptive machining systems utilize acoustic emission sensors to monitor cutting conditions in real time, achieving error compensation precision of 0.1 μm. These innovations reduce processing cycles by 20% and improve yield rates to over 98%, offering intelligent solutions for graphite electrode recycling.
Circular Economy Models Becoming Mainstream
The technology for recycling graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries achieves a 90% recovery rate at a cost 30% lower than virgin materials. Enterprises are advancing resource circularity through initiatives such as tailings comprehensive utilization and spent battery recycling, forming a circular industrial chain spanning “graphite mining-ecological restoration-new energy development.”
Post time: Jul-28-2025