Raw Materials

Raw Materials

Lithium 101 | Types & Sources

Lithium 101 | Types & Sources Main location of exploited deposits: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, United States, Zimbabwe

Main location of exploited deposits: Chile, Argentina, China

Lithium metal does not occur naturally in the environment, and lithium is most commonly found in lithium-bearing minerals such as spodumene (LiAlSi2O6) in pegmatite rocks or as dissolved salt such as lithium chloride (LiCl) in brines: Hard rock mines - deposits are processed to a concentrate which is widely used in industry or may be converted to lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide. Lithium brines - typically derived from evaporative lakes and salars. The chemistry of saline brines is unique to each site and can change dramatically within the same salar.

Lithium MInerals

MIneral Concentrates

Lithium Hydroxide

Brines

Lithium Carbonate

Lithium clays - no production has yet been made from clays although a number of projects are studying their potential.

Lithium Chloride

Metallic Lithium

Glass Ceramic

Source: Battery Talk: Lithium in Batteries Part 1, Battery Talk: Lithium in Batteries Part 2,,Battery Talk: Lithium in Batteries Part 3

Oil Batteries

Glass Ceramic Air Conditioning Pharmacy

Batteries Pharmacy Alloys

Extracted from the PDF; charts and images may read imperfectly.