Vanadium–Titanium-Based Material Industry Chain: Closed-Loop Technology Evolution, Energy Applications, and Life Cycle Assessment

Vanadium–titanium-based materials exhibit outstanding application potential in advanced energy storage systems, including ion batteries, flow batteries, and supercapacitors, owing to their excellent electrochemical performance, environmental compatibility, high specific capacity, and structural stability. Meanwhile, vanadium and titanium resources are relatively abundant globally compared to other strategic critical metals. Therefore, establishing a closed-loop vanadium–titanium industry chain is crucial for maximizing resource value, minimizing environmental footprint, and securing the sustainable development of these advanced energy technologies. This paper systematically reviews the global and Chinese distribution of vanadium–titanium resources, summarizes mainstream extraction and regeneration processes, and introduces the application characteristics and research progress of vanadium–titanium-based materials in typical energy storage devices. It discusses closed-loop recycling routes and life cycle assessment results, and identifies key bottlenecks such as difficult extraction of low-grade resources, insufficient conductivity, and incomplete recycling systems. Finally, a full-chain “resource–material–recycling” closed-loop model is proposed to promote the efficient utilization and sustainable development of vanadium–titanium-based energy storage materials.