What the site does
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.
What arrives at the gate
Feedstock at Ningde, Fujian reflects its catchment and plant type. Every consignment is weighed, photographed and logged against the originating manifest before it enters the process area.
- Cell production scrap
- Black mass from Asian processing sites
- Cathode scrap
- Permitted intermediates
The process, step by step
The 3 operating lines — black mass leaching, solvent extraction, battery-grade salt crystallisation — run the sequence below.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Sulphuric acid leaching | Two-stage leach at 60–85 °C with peroxide reductant dissolves cathode metals at 96–99% extraction efficiency. |
| Impurity removal | Iron, aluminium and copper are precipitated and filtered; graphite is recovered as a separate low-ash cake. |
| Solvent extraction trains | Sequential Co, Ni and Mn circuits with counter-current mixer-settlers deliver individual metal raffinates. |
| Crystallisation & drying | Nickel and cobalt sulphate hexahydrate plus lithium carbonate are crystallised to 99.5%+ battery grade and bagged under nitrogen. |
| Batch certification | Every batch ships with a certificate of analysis, mass balance and chain-of-custody record for EPR and IRA reporting. |
What sets the site apart
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.
Where material goes next
Material that Ningde, Fujian does not finish on site moves to the nearest specialist facility in the network, keeping transport distances and dwell times down.
| Facility | Role | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Yokohama — Kanagawa Diagnostics Works | Cell Grading & Diagnostics | 2,142 km |
| Gothenburg — Nordic Second-Life Campus | Second-Life BESS Works | 8,495 km |
Field note