Lithium

Lithium: A highly strategic raw material

Pure lithium is a soft alkali element, which is white or silver in color. It is the lightest solid element on the planet, and floats on water. Being highly reactive, lithium is not found in its native state in the natural environment, but only in the form of ionic compounds.

Lithium is found in nature in aqueous salt solutions (brine) in salt flats (large, partially evaporated salt lakes) or – as at our Kaolin site in Beauvoir, France – in clay and hard rock such as granite and pegmatite.

Lithium is widely abundant, but there are only a few places on earth where it exists in adequate concentrations to make lithium mining economically viable. The biggest resources currently being mined are in Chile, Australia and China. There are only a few ongoing lithium mining projects in Europe, and most are still in the initial stages.

Lithium’s physical properties make it an essential raw material in the highly strategic market for lithium-ion batteries.

Main physical properties

• Very light
• High electrochemical potential

Lithium-ion batteries prized for their performance

The major application for lithium – and the one that has witnessed by far the fastest growth – is for energy storage in the form of lithium-ion batteries. Developed in the 1990s, lithium-ion batteries have become especially widespread in recent years. Compared to other types of batteries, lithium-ion batteries charge faster, last longer and have a higher energy density; as a result, they are lighter-weight batteries with a longer life.

Over the past few years, lithium-ion batteries have been adopted in a wide range of industries and notably the electric vehicle industry, which is growing rapidly. Given the climate challenges connected with the energy transition, that growth is likely to continue in the coming years: according to some estimates, the industry will expand fourfold between 2021 and 2030.