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Specialty Scrap
Batteries - Lithium Ion
Grade: VariousHigh Tier
Rechargeable lithium batteries from electronics, EVs
Market Price EstimateUpdated Daily
$1,250/ MT
+85 (7.3%)vs yesterday
Verified specifications & market data
Chemical Composition
Elemental breakdown by percentage weight.
Standard composition limits
Values represent maximum allowed percentage unless otherwise noted.
Physical Properties
Material form, density, and contamination specifications.
End-of-life lithium-ion batteries; ULTRA-HIGH-VALUE strategic critical materials (3-7% lithium + 5-20% cobalt + 5-35% nickel); EXTREME HAZMAT COMPLEXITY (electrolyte flammable; thermal runaway risk; fire/explosion potential; pyrophoric lithium salt); GROWING SUPPLY (278 suppliers; EV battery growth exponential; consumer device recycling expanding); ULTRA-PREMIUM PRICING TIER; lithium/cobalt geopolitical significance; critical material supply-chain security; advanced recycling infrastructure required; thermal/fire safety CRITICAL; environmental/occupational hazmat stringent
Acceptable Inclusions
- Lithium 3-7% (critical specification; strategic material)
- Cobalt 5-20% (critical rare earth; specification)
- Nickel 5-35% (variable chemistry; acceptable range)
- Manganese <10% (chemical composition; acceptable)
- Aluminum <15% (packaging; acceptable)
- Copper <10% (terminals; acceptable)
- Electrolyte 10-30% (hazmat present; acceptable if contained)
Prohibited Materials
- Intact battery with active thermal runaway or fire (HAZMAT CRITICAL; rejection MANDATORY)
- Swollen/bulging battery (internal pressure; explosion risk)
- Damaged cells with electrolyte leakage (reactive hazmat exposure; fire risk)
- Unknown battery chemistry (composition uncertainty; hazmat risk)
- Mixed battery chemistries without separation (contamination; processing hazard)
Quality Assurance
Testing protocols, sampling methods, and acceptance criteria.
Sampling Protocol
frequencyStratified sampling by battery type/chemistry; thermal condition assessment ; lithium/cobalt verification ; hazmat status priority
maximumQuantity500+ batteries per shipment
minimumQuantity10-50 batteries or 1-20 kg
percentage15-25% of lot
stratificationSample across battery types; chemistries; ages/degradation states; lithium/cobalt content ; thermal condition ; hazmat uncertainty assessment
Acceptance Limits
all Criteria Must PassMaterial be lithium-ion battery; chemistry ; thermal safety ; critical materials ; hazmat understood ; geopolitical significance
battery StatusConfirmed as lithium-ion battery; chemistry ; thermal condition for processing
hazmat ProfileElectrolyte hazmat status ; fire/explosion danger ; occupational safety protocol ; containment requirement
lithium CobaltLithium 3-7%, cobalt 5-20% confirmed; critical material specification ; geopolitical significance
thermal SafetyNo active thermal runaway; swelling/fire risk with proper containment; safe handling protocol
Weight Tolerance
measurementVerified by certified scale; weight accountability for ultra-premium strategic commodity; precision important
variance±3-5% from expected weight
Required Test Methods
Battery Type & Chemistry Identification
CRITICALEXTREMEMANDATORY
Purpose
- identify battery type
- confirm lithium-ion
- determine chemistry (NMC/NCA/LFP)
- assess geopolitical material composition
Acceptance Criteria
- Battery type confirmed lithium-ion
- chemistry identified (specific NMC/NCA/LFP)
- critical material composition estimated
Procedure
- 100% visual inspection
- identify battery markings/model number
- chemistry determination from label/design
- cathode material estimation
- lithium/cobalt composition profile preliminary assessment
Thermal Runaway & Fire Risk Assessment
CRITICALMANDATORYEXTREMEABSOLUTE
Purpose
- assess thermal runaway risk
- evaluate fire/explosion danger
- determine safe handling protocol
Acceptance Criteria
- Thermal condition assessed
- runaway risk probability estimated
- fire/explosion danger
- safe handling protocol
Procedure
- Visual thermal condition assessment
- check for swelling/damage/thermal signs
- estimate degradation state
- assess thermal runaway probability
- fire containment requirement determination
Lithium/Cobalt Content Verification
CRITICAL
Purpose
- verify lithium 3-7%, cobalt 5-20%
- confirm critical material content
- assess geopolitical significance
- establish primary value
Acceptance Criteria
- Lithium/cobalt content documented
- critical material composition
- strategic material geopolitical significance
Procedure
- ICP-AES elemental analysis if feasible
- lithium/cobalt quantification
- critical material status verification
- geopolitical supply-chain assessment
Electrolyte Hazmat & Flammability Assessment
CRITICALEXTREMEABSOLUTE
Purpose
- assess electrolyte integrity
- evaluate flammable/reactive hazmat risk
- determine fire/explosion danger
- establish containment requirement
Acceptance Criteria
- Electrolyte hazmat status assessed
- flammable/reactive risk quantified
- fire/explosion danger
- containment protocol
Procedure
- Visual electrolyte condition assessment
- reactive hazmat evaluation
- flammable risk assessment
- containment feasibility determination
- occupational exposure risk
Nickel & Manganese Profile Assessment
Purpose
- Assess nickel 5-35% and manganese <10%
- confirm secondary metal value
- establish secondary recovery yield
Acceptance Criteria
- Nickel/manganese composition documented
- secondary metal value
- recovery profile
Procedure
- Visual metal oxide assessment
- XRF if available
- nickel/manganese percentage estimation
- secondary recovery value projection
Contamination Check
Purpose
- Assess plastic/organic residue
- identify physical damage
- confirm material processable
- establish processing protocol
Acceptance Criteria
- Plastic residue minimal
- physical integrity sound
- material clean for specialized recycling
Procedure
- Visual contamination assessment
- physical damage evaluation
- identify separator/casing material
- assess processing feasibility