Morning Edition · Tuesday, July 14, 2026Published at 1:33 AM EDT · New York

Japan's JX Metals Reports 90% Lithium Recovery From Spent EV Batteries

A plant in Tsuruga nearly doubles the prior sub-50% industry rate by swapping recovered lithium hydroxide for sodium hydroxide, with mass production set for 2027.

JX Metals Circular Solutions, a subsidiary of JX Advanced Metals, said its plant in Tsuruga, in Japan's Fukui Prefecture, recovers up to 90% of the lithium from used batteries, against a previous industry standard below 50%. The core change…