As the new energy vehicle, power battery, and energy storage industries continue to grow, battery materials are evolving toward higher nickel content, enhanced performance, and greater precision. As a critical intermediate in the production of ternary cathode materials, the particle morphology, particle size distribution, impurity levels, and product consistency of ternary precursors directly influence the subsequent performance of the cathode materials.

In the large-scale production of ternary precursors, solid–liquid separation is a critical step that links the synthesis reaction to subsequent processing. In particular, during washing, filtration, and dewatering, effectively retaining fine powders, minimizing material loss, and maintaining a stable filtration flux have become critical factors influencing production efficiency and product quality.

In response to this process requirement, Xadis, leveraging its expertise in filter material R&D and manufacturing, has introduced a high-retention-precision filter cloth solution. By optimizing the surface filtration structure of the filter cloth, it enhances surface retention of fine particles, providing a more suitable filtration option for solid–liquid separation in new energy battery materials such as ternary precursors.

1. What is a ternary precursor, and why is it an important material for the new energy battery industry?

Ternary precursors are important intermediates for preparing ternary cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, It is primarily prepared via chemical reactions involving metallic elements such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese, or nickel, cobalt, and aluminum.

Based on the material system, they are mainly divided into two major categories: nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) and nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA). Among these, the NCM system is further classified into different grades—such as 523, 622, and 811—depending on the elemental ratios of nickel, cobalt, and manganese. For example, NCM811 indicates a molar ratio of nickel, cobalt, and manganese of approximately 8:1:1, representing a typical high-nickel ternary precursor.

Industrial Chain Structure Diagram of the Ternary Precursor Industry

Ternary precursors are typically prepared via the co-precipitation method, using nickel, cobalt, and manganese salts as the main raw materials. Under specific temperature, pH, and reaction conditions, a composite metal hydroxide is formed through a precipitation reaction. After filtration, washing, dewatering, drying, and subsequent processing, the material is mixed with a lithium source and sintered to ultimately produce ternary cathode material.

From the perspective of material properties, ternary precursors are not merely simple metal compound intermediates. Their particle morphology, particle size distribution, sphericity, tap density, and impurity content all influence the structure and electrochemical performance of the subsequent cathode material.

Therefore, the production of ternary precursors not only focuses on the chemical reaction itself but also places stringent requirements on the subsequent solid–liquid separation process.

II. Development of the Precursor Market: Shifting from Scale Expansion to High-Quality Competition

In recent years, the continued growth of the new-energy vehicle, power battery, and energy-storage industries has driven the ongoing refinement of the lithium-battery materials supply chain. As a key upstream feedstock for ternary cathode materials, ternary precursors have likewise developed into a relatively mature industrial ecosystem.

From the perspective of market size, In 2025, China’s production of ternary precursors will reach 918,000 tonnes, up 7.9% year on year; global production will total 1.038 million tonnes, an increase of 7.8% year on year. Chinese companies hold a significant position in the global ternary precursor industry chain.

Global shipments of ternary cathode materials, 2021–2026

However, at the same time, the ternary precursor market is also undergoing structural adjustments.

On the one hand, lithium iron phosphate batteries continue to expand their applications in the power battery and energy storage markets thanks to their cost and safety advantages, exerting competitive pressure on traditional ternary materials. On the other hand, ternary materials remain valuable in high-energy-density, long-range, and high-end applications, with market demand increasingly shifting toward high-nickel, single-crystal, low-cobalt, and differentiated products.

In particular, high-nickel ternary materials place higher demands on the particle structure of precursors, elemental uniformity, and production process control. At the same time, as high-end battery materials increasingly require stringent product consistency and impurity control, manufacturers are placing greater emphasis on downstream processing steps such as filtration, washing, and dewatering.

This means that in the future, competition in the ternary precursor industry will not only revolve around raw material costs and production capacity, but will also encompass a comprehensive contest of product quality, manufacturing stability, and process efficiency.

III. Challenges in filtering ternary precursors: fine powder breakthrough and filter cloth clogging—how can these be addressed?

In the production of ternary precursors, after the co-precipitation reaction is completed, the slurry must be filtered using solid–liquid separation equipment and then washed and dewatered according to process requirements.

This step may appear to be a standard filtration process, but in fact it places high demands on the filter cloth’s retention performance and filtration stability.

1. Fine particles tend to pass through the filter, resulting in material loss.

The ternary precursor slurry contains particles of varying sizes, particularly fine particles and some agglomerates of primary particles. During the initial stage of filtration, if the filter cloth’s surface filtration structure does not match the particle size of the material, fine particles may pass through the pores of the filter cloth and enter the filtrate.

Cake carryover not only results in the loss of valuable material but can also increase the solids content in the filtrate, thereby affecting filtrate recovery, downstream processing, and production stability.

2. Fine particles penetrate into the filter cloth, easily causing deep-layer blockage.

In conventional filtration, some filter cloths primarily rely on the gradual deposition of particles to form a filter cake that provides further retention. When the feed particles are very fine and the filter cloth itself lacks sufficient surface retention capacity, these fine particles can easily penetrate the inter-fiber spaces and internal pores.

As the filtration cycle continues, particles accumulate within the filter cloth, potentially causing deep-layer clogging. This leads to reduced water and air permeability of the filter cloth, slower filtration rates, and extended filtration cycles.

3. Decreased filtration efficiency increases production maintenance costs

When filter cloths become perforated or clogged, manufacturers often have to increase the frequency of cleaning or even replace the filter cloths ahead of schedule. An extended filtration cycle also reduces the effective operating time of the filter press equipment.

For new energy material companies engaged in continuous, large-scale production, filter cloth is not merely a consumable for filtration; it is also a critical factor influencing production efficiency, material recovery rates, and overall operating costs.

Therefore, when filtering ternary precursors, the focus should not be solely on whether the filter cloth allows water to pass through; it is equally important to ensure that, while maintaining adequate filtration flux, the cloth can effectively retain the target particles.

4. Xadiyas High-precision Retention Filter Cloth: Optimized from internal filtration to surface retention

To address common issues in fine powder filtration, such as breakthrough and deep-bed clogging, Xadidas focuses its R&D efforts on optimizing the surface filtration structure of filter cloths and their particle retention performance.

Unlike conventional filtration, which relies primarily on the gradual formation of a filter cake to achieve retention, Xadis high‑retention‑precision filter cloth enhances surface interception capability by optimizing its fiber architecture and surface filtration layer.

Core Advantage One: Enhanced surface retention, reducing the passage of fine particles

By optimizing the surface structure of the filter cloth, fine powders can be effectively intercepted at the onset of filtration, reducing the likelihood of particles penetrating into the fabric and thereby mitigating the cake‑blinding issue that arises from insufficient retention capacity in conventional filter cloths.

Core Advantage Two: Reduces deep clogging and maintains filtration stability.

When fine particles primarily form a deposition layer on the filter cloth surface rather than entering extensively into the internal pores, it helps reduce the risk of deep-layer clogging and improves filtration stability over the long term.

At the same time, a well-designed surface filtration structure also facilitates subsequent cake release and filter cloth cleaning and maintenance.

Core Advantage Three: Balancing Retention Accuracy and Filtration Flux

High retention accuracy does not simply mean striving for smaller pores. For fine powders such as ternary precursors, the filter cloth must strike a balance among particle retention capacity, permeability, filtration rate, and cake release performance.

Xadis matches the appropriate filter cloth structure to the particle size distribution, slurry characteristics, and filtration conditions of different materials, thereby avoiding a decline in overall filtration efficiency caused by blindly increasing retention accuracy.

5. Compatible with various equipment models, providing filtration support for ternary precursor production.

Ternary precursor manufacturers typically employ different types of solid–liquid separation equipment, depending on production capacity, process flow, and production line configuration.

Xadis high-retention-precision filter cloths can be adapted to various filter press equipment according to equipment structure and operating condition requirements, with a focus on:

Plate and frame filter press

Plate-and-frame filter presses are widely used for solid–liquid separation in the powder materials and chemical industries. To address issues such as fine particles of ternary precursors easily passing through the filter and filter cloth clogging, optimizing the surface structure of the filter cloth can enhance its ability to retain fine particles, improve filtration performance, and simultaneously facilitate cake formation and cake discharge.

Vertical filter press

Vertical plate-and-frame filter presses feature a high degree of automation and are well-suited for large-scale production. In the filtration and washing stages of ternary precursor manufacturing, the filter cloth must be compatible with the equipment’s filtration pressure, washing method, cake thickness, and cake discharge conditions.

It should be emphasized that ternary precursor products from different companies vary in particle size distribution, solid content, slurry viscosity, and filtration conditions. Therefore, filter cloth selection should be tailored to the specific material at hand, and, when necessary, material testing should be conducted to verify retention efficiency and filtration performance.

VI. Leveraging filtration material technology to support the high-quality production of new energy battery materials

From traditional chemical filtration to the fine solid–liquid separation required for new energy battery materials, filtration materials are facing increasingly stringent technical demands.

Xiamen Xiadidas has long been dedicated to the R&D and manufacturing of industrial filtration materials. By focusing on the characteristics of various materials, equipment designs, and production processes, it continuously optimizes the fabric structure, surface properties, and filtration performance of its filter cloths, providing customers with more tailored filtration material solutions.

Addressing challenges such as fine particle breakthrough, deep-layer filter cloth clogging, and declining filtration efficiency in the production of new energy powder materials like ternary precursors, Xiamen Xiadiyas high-retention-precision filter cloths focus on surface interception technology and offer tailored filter cloth solutions for equipment including plate-and-frame filter presses and vertical filter presses.

  It effectively retains fine powders, making the filtration process more stable.

     Xiamen Xiadis Filtration Materials Technology Co., Ltd. — Focused on the R&D and manufacturing of filtration materials, providing specialized filtration technology solutions for the new energy battery materials and fine powder industries.