Ningde, Fujian hydrometallurgical refinery
How Ningde — Fujian Refining Base turns black mass into battery-grade salts — inputs, process chemistry, outputs and where its feed comes from.
Throughput
48,000 TPA
Process stages
6
Feeder sites nearby
6
Operating since
2018
From black mass to battery-grade salts
- 1
Feed assay & sampling
Incoming black mass is homogenised and assayed by ICP-OES for Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Cu, Al and fluoride before it is released to leach.
- 2
Sulphuric acid leaching
Two-stage leach at 60–85 °C with peroxide reductant dissolves cathode metals at 96–99% extraction efficiency.
- 3
Impurity removal
Iron, aluminium and copper are precipitated and filtered; graphite is recovered as a separate low-ash cake.
- 4
Solvent extraction trains
Sequential Co, Ni and Mn circuits with counter-current mixer-settlers deliver individual metal raffinates.
- 5
Crystallisation & drying
Nickel and cobalt sulphate hexahydrate plus lithium carbonate are crystallised to 99.5%+ battery grade and bagged under nitrogen.
- 6
Batch certification
Every batch ships with a certificate of analysis, mass balance and chain-of-custody record for EPR and IRA reporting.
Acceptance criteria
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Accepted feed | Black mass, cathode scrap, sealed drums |
| Moisture limit | Agreed per contract, deducted from payable weight |
| Sampling | Homogenised and split, assayed by ICP-OES |
| Documentation | Assay certificate, manifest, waste-shipment consent where required |
Products leaving the plant
| Stream | Product |
|---|---|
| Lithium | Carbonate or hydroxide, battery grade |
| Nickel | Sulphate hexahydrate, battery grade |
| Cobalt | Sulphate heptahydrate, battery grade |
| By-products | Graphite cake, copper and aluminium residues |
Why Ningde, Fujian
Ningde in Fujian is home to one of the world's largest battery cell manufacturing complexes, and the surrounding area has grown into a major battery industry centre. The refining base opened on Xingang Road in 2018, close to Ningde's port facilities, to refine the scrap and black mass that this concentration of manufacturing produces. Its feed comes mainly from nearby production.
At 48,000 TPA, it is the network's largest refinery. It processes black mass and cell production scrap and supplies battery-grade salts to Asian manufacturers, benefiting from short transport distances to both its feed sources and its customers. Every output batch carries an analysis certificate, and imported feed must meet China's import rules before it can be accepted, so eligibility is confirmed well before any shipment leaves its origin.
Permitting
MIIT management measures for new energy vehicle power battery recycling
The base operates under Chinese environmental permitting and national rules for recycling new energy vehicle batteries, including traceability requirements. Imports are subject to Chinese customs controls and solid waste import restrictions.
Technical strengths
Largest refinery
48,000 TPA of refining capacity.
Battery industry centre
Close to major cell manufacturing operations.
Asian supply
Supplies refined salts to regional producers.
Sites that feed Ningde, Fujian
Black mass arrives from these campuses, yards and grading plants.
Ningde, Fujian plant: technical questions
Does the refinery accept whole battery packs?
No. Whole packs are received at intake yards and campuses, discharged and shredded; the refinery receives the resulting black mass.
How is black mass priced here?
Against an agreed assay, with payable percentages per metal and deductions for moisture and impurities. Sampling is witnessed or split on request.
Can black mass be imported to Ningde?
Only if it meets Chinese import rules, so eligibility must be checked before shipment.
What does Ningde refine?
Black mass and production scrap, refined into battery-grade salts.
Damaged or defective packs are handled under a separate quarantine protocol — flag them in the form and the team calls you back the same day.
Have black mass to place?
Share assay, tonnage and location for an indicative payable and an intake slot.