Hubei Dawu starts retired battery regeneration line, claims 50% lower carbon footprint

A retired battery regeneration project in Dawu County, Xiaogan, Hubei has started commercial operation after 90 days of construction. The plant uses a fully dry direct regeneration process to dismantle used power batteries, sort powders, and restore cathode materials in place. The operator says the process uses no acids, alkalis, or water and produces no solid waste, cutting the carbon footprint by more than half versus industry levels. The project sits in the Dawu County Economic Development Zone and is designed as a closed loop from retired battery collection to material return to production lines. SMM reports the line is based on the group's own intelligent equipment and precision sorting technology. No capacity figures or investment amounts were disclosed in the announcement. For carbon market watchers, the claim of a 50% carbon reduction is significant but needs third party verification. The process avoids wet chemical steps, which could indeed lower energy and material inputs. More details on throughput and end product quality would help assess whether this scales beyond a pilot.