The Patent Registration Process In The Field Of Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling
Sustainable access to raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and aluminum is critical with the rapid expansion in battery production and the move toward vehicle electrification. Preventing the formation of waste from used batteries, on the other hand, will become a significant barrier in the development of lithium batteries' applications very soon. In addition, BASF is planning to construct a cathode material and recycling plant in Quebec, Canada and Northvolt also introduced its first battery fabricated from recycled materials. Only a tiny percentage of the recycling industry is covered in the news. Patents can also be used to research battery recycling technology development.
A survey of patents in this domain shows that the registering battery recycling patents after 2015 have expanded dramatically with the increase in battery production globally, as illustrated in Figure 1.
China is the world leader in battery recycling technology, having registered 70% of 1600 patent families in lithium-ion battery recycling (Figure 2). This high number of registered patents in China could indicate that the recycling sector could become profitable and strategic soon, particularly in lithium batteries. There are two reasons for China's large recycling market: first, it is the world's largest producer of batteries, and the production of batteries generates a significant amount of recycled materials; and second, recycling batteries is necessary for China to maintain its current level of production and supply of raw materials soon.
Central South University and Gotion high-tech Company, both in China, are the top institutions in terms of the number of patents in recycling. Other prominent battery-producing countries, such as South Korea, Japan, Europe, and Canada, are following in this country's footsteps, as shown in Figure 3.
Finally, the lithium battery recycling business is predicted to become a requirement with a substantial investment volume very soon, as seen by the company's investment in technology and patent registration.
