China is turning trash into treasure on a vast scale
EV batteries, especially, will help it secure supplies of critical minerals.
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GEM’s battery recycling plant in Wuhan, China.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
The Economist
The European Union worries about China’s vast exports of cheap electric vehicles. On Oct 12, it said that in December, a quota of 350,000 a year would be imposed on hybrid-EV imports from China. This is expected to keep their market share below 10%. But the bloc also frets about China’s dominance over critical minerals used to make these vehicles.
A fast-growing number of EVs will soon be scrapped and replaced. Shredding their batteries yields “black mass”, a powder from which valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel can be recovered and reused. From November, the EU will make it harder to export this waste.