Battery Raw Materials

- Raw Material Deposit Assessment

When evaluating raw material deposits, two different numbers need to be considered: on the one hand, the resources generally available on Earth, and on the other, the deposits that can be mined cost-effectively using today's technology. market price. At this point, a comprehensive understanding of lithium-ion car batteries can be obtained. Scientists have confirmed that enough raw materials are available. In most cases, total deposits will greatly exceed expected demand, even if the amount of raw materials required increases in tandem due to increased demand in other areas. 

However, some studies suggest that temporary shortages or price increases of individual raw materials are certainly possible, for example, if new production sites have to be opened, demand is too high, or there are problems with exports from producing countries 

- Graphite

Graphite is used as a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. It has the highest volume proportion of all battery raw materials and also accounts for a large proportion of battery production costs. 

For several years, China has dominated nearly the entire supply chain, producing nearly 50 percent of the world's synthetic graphite and 70 percent of flake graphite, which needs to be pretreated before being used in batteries. Exploration efforts have increased over the past few years, especially in Africa. New mining sites in Mozambique, Tanzania and Madagascar could ease pressure on highly concentrated world markets. However, the risks involved in flake graphite processing also pose a problem for security of supply, as this takes place almost entirely in China, along with the production of anodes. New anode materials are currently being researched, and if they are used in mass-produced batteries, they could have an impact on future demand for graphite.

[More to come ...]