Chinese inventors Xie Yinghao and Yu Haijun won the European Inventor Award 2026 for a smart battery recycling process that recovers 99.6% of nickel, cobalt and manganese and 96.5% of lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries. Their directed recycling method reduces acid and alkali use by 73% and produces battery-grade cathode materials with a 61% lower carbon footprint than conventional production. The technology directly regenerates high-quality NCM cathode material, cutting waste and resource consumption for EV and storage batteries. The award, presented by the European Patent Office in Berlin, also included the Popular Prize. The process shortens processing steps by more than 18% and addresses the growing need to recover critical minerals as battery capacity expands. With over 2,000 GWh of lithium-ion capacity added globally between 2018 and 2023, recycling technology like this is key to reducing mining demand and lowering lifecycle emissions for the energy transition.
