Lithium is extracted in one of two ways: hydromineral and ore. In the first, metal is obtained from brine, the waters of mineral lakes, which are a highly concentrated salt solution. The second consists of intrusive igneous rocks extracted in quarries and mines. Chile, Argentina, Australia and China account for the largest share of global production.
Lithium is widely used in industry. It plays an important role in the production of glass and ceramics: it makes materials more transparent and durable, as well as reduces their melting points. Li is also used in pharmaceuticals for the production of lithium salt, a psychotropic drug for the treatment of bipolar disorder and depression.
In the field of nuclear energy, lithium is an important element in the manufacture of thermonuclear reactors and nuclear fuel. It is also used in the production of alloys for the aviation and space industries, in foundry to create lightweight and durable steels and alloys, including precision.
But the most well-known use of lithium is the production of lithium batteries, which are found in every mobile phone, laptop, electric car and other devices powered by li-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries have been in use for over 30 years. But it wasn't until 2019 that John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino — scientists who played key roles in the development of li-ion batteries — won the Nobel Prize for their discovery.
Today, lithium is of strategic importance not only in the civilian but also in the military industry. Given the extensive list of manufacturing industries in which Li is used, it is not for nothing that it is called the “oil of the 21st century”. And the demand for it continues to grow every year.
According to analytical studies conducted by the international consulting company McKinsey, even before 2019, the demand for lithium increased by about 30-40 thousand tons per year. Today, this figure is about 200,000 tons per year. At the same time, the needs of industrial enterprises exceed the current capabilities of the lithium mining industry by about 4,000 tons per year.
As demand increases, so does the cost of metal: compared to 2020, the price of lithium in 2023 increased by 600%. It is interesting to note that despite the rise in price of pure Li, batteries based on it are getting cheaper, but not so rapidly: since 1991, after the introduction of li-ion batteries on the market, their price has fallen by 97%.
Although the Russian Federation ranks third in the world in terms of lithium reserves, at present, industrial metal mining is just beginning to recover. After a 25-year break in this area, industrial enterprises plan to return to the development of abandoned deposits. Rosatom, together with Norilsk Nickel, is starting work at one of the largest deposits, Kolmozerskoye in the Murmansk Region. It was discovered back in the middle of the 20th century, and geological exploration has been carried out in this area for more than 10 years. But in the 1960s, work was curtailed, as demand for this metal was low at that time.
By the way, there is another major deposit on the territory of the Russian Federation — the Zavitinskoye polymetallic deposit in Transbaikalia. Production here was curtailed in 1997, as it became much more profitable to buy metal in Argentina, Bolivia or Chile. After these countries mastered the method of producing pure Li by evaporating water from salt mountain lakes, the cost of lithium raw materials (lithium carbonate) fell from $8-9 thousand per ton to $3-3.5 thousand.
It was decided to return to independent lithium production in the country after the cessation of supplies from Chile and Argentina. Although China and Bolivia have not suspended the export of raw materials, independence in this industry has become a strategic goal. Today, the purchase of lithium carbonate for industrial needs costs the country about 4 billion rubles a year. According to experts, the development of the Kolmozerskoye deposit will not only fully cover domestic demand, but also switch to exporting the much-popular metal. The preliminary annual production of Li hydroxide and carbonate is estimated at 45,000 tons per year. The company plans to reach its estimated capacity in 2030.
