Manganese-Rich Battery Recycling Patent Landscape 2026
Manganese-Rich Battery Recycling Patent Landscape in 2026
The manganese-rich battery recycling patent space is a small, growth-stage field dominated by Chinese academic institutions, with Beijing University of Technology holding the largest single share among ranked filers. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, though annual volume eased from its 2023 peak, and the corpus remains heavily concentrated in metal-extraction and battery-cell chemistry branches.
Chinese universities lead a nascent, concentrated field
Beijing University of Technology ranks first among all applicants, holding 4 patent records — the largest share among the top hundred ranked filers. The field’s top five filers together account for 29% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, a level of concentration that is notable given the early stage of the domain.
A clear tier gap separates the top applicant from the rest of
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing University of Technology | 4 | |
| 2 | Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 2 | |
| 3 | Jiangxi Jiuding Power New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 4 | Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 5 | McNair Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 6 | CHINA UNIV OF MINING & TECH | 1 | |
| 7 | Lanxi Boguan Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 8 | South China University of Technology | 1 | |
| 9 | GEM Jiangsu Cobalt Industry Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 10 | NANJING UNIV OF AERONAUTICS & ASTRONAUTICS | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Phylion Battery Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 12 | Hunan Brunp Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 13 | NINGBO INST OF MATERIALS TECH & ENG CHINESE ACAD O… | 1 | |
| 14 | Beijing Institute of Technology | 1 | |
| 15 | Sichuan Fanyu Lithium Energy New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 16 | Tsinghua University | 1 | |
| 17 | Hunan Brunp Scrap Cars Recycling Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 18 | Central South University | 1 | |
| 19 | Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory | 1 | |
| 20 | Do-Fluoride Chemicals Co., Ltd. | 1 |
The dominance of academic and research institutions — including multiple Chinese Academy of Sciences affiliates, Tsinghua University, and several technology universities — suggests the field is still in a pre-commercialization phase where foundational chemistry and process IP is being established rather than product-level deployment being protected.
The most recent filing years are subject to standard publication lag of 18–24 months and will likely show higher final counts once applications are published; early-period figures should be read as minimums. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Multi-year growth with a 2023 peak and a chemistry-heavy technology mix
The annual filing trend and the IPC technology composition together reveal a field that has grown substantially on a multi-year basis while remaining anchored in a narrow set of electrochemical and metal-refining classes.
Annual filing trend
Activity was negligible through 2020, rose through 2021, and reached a visible 2023 peak before easing in 2024 and 2025; the latter two years carry the standard 18–24-month publication lag and will rise as pending applications publish. The recent three-year window sits well above the prior three-year window, confirming an 86% multi-year growth rate despite the easing from the 2023 peak.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) covers the entire corpus at the top level, reflecting the mandatory battery-chemistry anchor of this field. C01G (compounds of other metals) and C22B (metal extraction and refining) are the next-largest branches, together capturing the hydrometallurgical and precursor-synthesis routes that define current recycling approaches. Lower-share branches — C01D, C01B, B01D, B01J, B09B and others — each appear with very limited coverage, pointing to adjacent process and waste-management areas that are technically relevant but under-patented.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Method for preferentially recovering manganese fro…
The present invention provides a method for preferentially recovering manganese from waste lithium-rich manganese-based cathode material, the method comprising: step 1) calcination and leaching: mixing the waste lithium-rich manganese-based cathode material with ammonium sulfate and then performing low-temperature calcination, leaching the calcination… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种锂离子电池富锂锰基正极材料的制备方法 | 41 |
| 2 | 一种采用废旧钴酸锂电池制备高电压正极材料的方法 | 19 |
| 3 | 一种从混合废旧锂电再生富锂锰基正极的方法 | 17 |
| 4 | 一种利用废旧锂电池再生富锂锰基正极材料的方法 | 17 |
| 5 | 一种废旧锂离子电池中有价金属的回收方法 | 11 |
| 6 | 一种废旧锂离子电池正极材料的回收方法及其应用 | 8 |
| 7 | 一种掺硫富锂锰系锂吸附剂及其制备方法和应用 | 7 |
| 8 | 一种富锂正极材料和高容量锂离子筛的制备方法 | 5 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the patent structure means for R&D investment
The combination of growth-stage activity, academic dominance, narrow geography, and sparse industrial-process branches creates a specific risk-and-opportunity profile for engineers entering this space.
Growth stage, easing from a 2023 annual peak
The field carries a Growth lifecycle label, grounded in the 86% rise in the recent three-year filing window relative to the prior one. Annual volume eased from its 2023 peak, but this should be read alongside publication lag that understates 2024 and 2025 counts. For R&D planning, the field is best treated as early-to-mid growth: foundational IP is being filed but the competitive density is still low enough to allow entry.
Growth · easing from 2023 peakAcademic leaders, shallow industrial presence
The top five filers account for 29% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and the remainder of the ranking is populated almost entirely by single-record players. No industrial incumbent has assembled a broad portfolio. This means freedom-to-operate risk is low relative to a mature field, but also that licensing-in foundational chemistry IP from universities is a realistic path for commercial entrants. The tier gap between the leader (4 patent records) and the bulk of the field (1 record each) is wide relative to corpus size.
Low industrial densityBrunp group entities and Hubei industry-lab pairs are the active co-filers
The most active co-filing relationships involve the Brunp group: Hunan Brunp Scrap Cars Recycling, Hunan Brunp Recycling Technology, and Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology each appear in joint filings with one another, indicating intra-group IP coordination. A separate industry-research collaboration links Hubei Xingfa Chemical Group with Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory. Tsinghua University has co-filed with Sichuan New Energy Automobile Innovation Center, signalling early university-OEM-adjacent linkages in the recycling-to-reuse pathway.
Intra-group + lab partnershipsChina holds near-total jurisdictional coverage
China accounts for 25 of the 28 jurisdiction-level patent records, with 2 US filings and 1 PCT application rounding out the corpus. The near-absence of PCT and US filings indicates that most applicants have not yet pursued international protection, which is a meaningful signal: either commercialization outside China is not yet planned, or the IP is being held close while processes are still being refined. For non-Chinese entrants, this leaves the US, Europe, and other major markets largely open for parallel filings on equivalent or improved processes.
China-dominant · US & PCT sparseGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Hunan Brunp Scrap Cars Recycling Co., Ltd. | Hunan Brunp Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Hunan Brunp Scrap Cars Recycling Co., Ltd. | Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Hunan Brunp Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. | Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Hubei Xingfa Chemical Group Co., Ltd. | Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory | 1 |
| Tsinghua University | Sichuan New Energy Automobile Innovation Center Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Beijing University of Technology leads; Brunp group and Dalian CAS emerge as challengers
All momentum signals in the applicant data show new-entrant trajectories, reflecting the field’s early stage where essentially every active filer has entered within the recent window. Technology emphasis varies between metal-extraction-focused and battery-cell-focused routes.
Beijing University of Technology
Beijing University of Technology holds 4 patent records, the highest count among all ranked applicants, and carries a new-entrant momentum signal — indicating all activity falls within the recent window. Their technology focus is concentrated in C22B metal extraction and refining (subclasses C22B 1, C22B 3, and C22B 47), positioning them as the primary academic authority on the hydrometallurgical processing route for manganese-rich cathode recovery.
patent records: 4Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS
The Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences holds 2 patent records with a new-entrant momentum signal and focuses on C01G 53 (nickel and cobalt compounds), H01M 10 (secondary batteries), and H01M 4 (electrodes) — a technology mix that spans precursor synthesis and cell-level reuse, differentiating it from the purely hydrometallurgical emphasis of the leader. This cross-domain focus could position it as a key licensing partner for industrial recyclers pursuing closed-loop cathode regeneration.
patent records: 2| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing University of Technology | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Chongqing FinDreams Battery Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hunan Brunp Scrap Cars Recycling Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hunan Brunp Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hubei Xingfa Chemical Group Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Tsinghua University | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Separation processes and waste-disposal branches are under-served relative to core chemistry
Several IPC classes with clear technical relevance to manganese-rich battery recycling hold only 1–4 patent records in the corpus, representing branches where the literature base is thin and entry barriers are low.
B01D · Separation processes (filtration, membrane, solvent extraction)
B01D holds only 1 patent record in the corpus, a share of roughly 2% of branch-level records. Separation and purification steps — including selective membrane filtration and solvent-extraction circuits — are integral to any hydrometallurgical recycling line recovering manganese alongside lithium, nickel, and cobalt. The near-absence of patents in this branch suggests that downstream separation engineering, as distinct from upstream leaching chemistry, has not yet been the subject of targeted IP filings. Engineers with expertise in membrane or extraction process design could file in this branch with minimal direct overlap against the existing portfolio.
Search this in Eureka →B09B · Solid waste disposal
B09B holds 1 patent record, representing roughly 2% of branch-level records. This class covers the handling, pre-treatment, and safe disposal of solid battery waste streams — including black mass handling, residue stabilization, and end-of-line waste management — that sit upstream of the chemical recovery steps that dominate the current corpus. The sparsity here likely reflects the field’s current focus on value recovery rather than waste-stream management, but regulatory pressure around battery waste in China, the EU, and the US is increasing. Filers with process knowledge of black-mass pre-treatment and residue handling have a realistic entry path with limited prior-art density to navigate.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C01G 53 · Compounds of other metals | C22B 47 · Metal extraction & refining | C22B 7 · Metal extraction & refining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing University of Technology | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 4 | Strong · 4 |
| Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent |
| Kunming University of Science and Technology | Strong · 3 | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Central South University | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Moderate · 1 | Absent | Absent |
| South China University of Technology | Strong · 1 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 1 | Strong · 1 |
| Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory | Absent | Absent | Strong · 1 | Strong · 1 | Strong · 1 |
| Hubei Xingfa Chemical Group Co., Ltd. | Absent | Absent | Strong · 1 | Strong · 1 | Strong · 1 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 26 patent families. This is a small, early-stage dataset, which reflects the relative novelty of manganese-rich cathode chemistries as recycling targets compared with more mature cobalt- or NMC-focused recycling streams.
Beijing University of Technology leads the ranked applicants with 4 patent records, ahead of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Jiangxi Jiuding Power New Energy Technology, each holding 2 patent records.
The field carries a Growth lifecycle stage. The recent three-year filing window is 86% above the prior three-year window on a multi-year basis. Annual volume eased from a 2023 peak, though 2024 and 2025 figures remain understated due to publication lag and will likely rise as pending applications are published.
China dominates, accounting for 25 of 28 jurisdiction-level patent records. The United States holds 2 records and WIPO (PCT) holds 1. Non-Chinese jurisdictions — including Europe — have essentially no coverage, leaving international markets largely open for parallel filings.
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) is the overarching class covering the entire corpus. C01G (compounds of other metals) and C22B (metal extraction and refining) are the next-largest branches, reflecting the field’s focus on hydrometallurgical recovery and precursor resynthesis as the primary recycling routes.
Yes. The Brunp group demonstrates intra-corporate co-filing across three entities: Hunan Brunp Scrap Cars Recycling, Hunan Brunp Recycling Technology, and Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology. An industry-research pair — Hubei Xingfa Chemical Group and Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory — has also co-filed. Tsinghua University has a co-filing relationship with Sichuan New Energy Automobile Innovation Center, indicating early university-to-automotive-sector knowledge transfer in this domain.
Map the competitive landscape for your own battery recycling technology
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. PatSnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.