Hunan Brunp Recycling Technology, the largest Chinese company that recycles lithium batteries, saw an explosion at a factory in Changsha, central China, according to local media reports.

Brunp is an affiliate of Contemporary Amperex Technology, the largest China-based battery maker.

Brunp has annual capacity of recycling over 6,000 tons of batteries, and from disposal processes produces 4,500 tons of nickel, cobalt, manganese oxide as well as lithium cobaltate, cobalt chloride, nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate and tricobalt tetroxide in total a year, the reports said.