Japan Achieves 90% Lithium Recovery from Used EV Batteries in Recycling Breakthrough

A JX Metals facility in Tsuruga has developed a method to recover 90% of lithium from used EV batteries — nearly double the industry standard — by substituting lithium hydroxide for sodium hydroxide in the recycling process.

Japanese engineers have cracked one of the EV industry's toughest problems: how to recover lithium from spent batteries at scale. A recycling facility operated by JX Metals Circular Solutions in Tsuruga, Japan, has achieved a 90% lithium recovery rate from used electric vehicle batteries — nearly double the sub-50% rate that conventional recycling methods typically deliver.

The breakthrough hinges on a deceptively simple chemical substitution. Instead of using sodium hydroxide to adjust pH during the recycling process, the team uses recovered lithium hydroxide. This swap converts "black mass" — the metal-rich powder left after batteries are incinerated — into high-purity white lithium powder ready for new battery production. The process also cuts carbon emissions by approximately 40% compared to conventional techniques.

The timing matters. Japan imports nearly all of its battery minerals, with much of the processing routed through China. Domestic lithium recovery at scale could reduce supply-chain vulnerability significantly. The facility has already surpassed Japan's regulatory mandate of 70% lithium recovery by 2030, and is targeting mass production validation by 2027, with plans to recover 30,000 tons of critical materials annually by 2035.

There are still hurdles. Only about 14% of Japan's end-of-life lithium-ion batteries currently enter official collection channels — many retired EVs are exported, taking their valuable materials with them. But if collection infrastructure catches up to the recycling technology, the equation for EV battery economics shifts considerably.

Sources: Supercar Blondie, Gadget Review