Lithium
Lithium is among the most important materials in the energy transition due to its centrality to battery designs.
Lithium has many uses, including most importantly in the contemporary context its role in multiple battery designs commonly used in electric vehicles. Australia is by far the largest current producer, but the ‘lithium triangle’ of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina contains the bulk of the world’s known reserves of lithium. Current lithium operations have been associated with company-community conflict and violations of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
Main uses and applications
Over 70% of lithium is used in batteries, including in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, energy storage systems and electric vehicles. The use of these batteries in electric vehicles represents one of the most significant uses for lithium batteries, increasing year by year. Lithium is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries for components like heart pacemakers, toys and clocks. Lithium carbonate is also deployed as a medication, while lithium alloys are found in aircraft, bicycle frames and high-speed trains. Lithium oxide is used in special glasses and glass ceramics.
The principal industrial applications for lithium metal are in metallurgy, where the active element is used to remove of impurities in the refining of such metals as iron, nickel, copper, and zinc and their alloys.
Key Industries
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Auto
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Electronics
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Energy
Key Countries
Top Producer
Australia
Top Reserves
Chile
Association with ESG issues
TDi Sustainability's data rates Lithium's association with the following issues as high or very high:
Biodiversity Protected Areas & Productive Land
Community Health, Safety, and Development
Physical Instability, Soil Erosion and Land Degradation
Pollution
Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Tailings breaches
Threat to water balance