Panasonic Energy and Sumitomo Metal Mining are planning a new process to recover nickel from lithium-ion battery production waste. The goal is to create a closed-loop economy in which recycled nickel is re-used in cathode materials for batteries. The process will initially be applied to production scrap from Panasonicʼs Osaka plant. Sumitomo Metal Mining will process the material at its facilities at the Niihama Nickel Refinery in Ehime Prefecture. The resulting nickel sulfate solution will be used as a raw material for new batteries.
Urban mining strategies
The companies are focusing on so-called urban mining strategies, in which valuable materials are recovered from used products. According to Panasonic Energy, the process will help reduce carbon emissions and enable a 20-percent share of recycled cathode material in electric vehicle batteries by 2030. Expansion to other materials such as lithium and cobalt is planned after 2026.
