Materials handling
Supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have shone a light on the mineral-dependent battery electric vehicle (BEV) industry, particularly with regard to lithium. As a result, the clamour from UK industry to bring supply chains closer to home has been increasing. Martin Morris talks to Neil Glover, president of IOM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining) and head of materials capability acquisition at Rolls-Royce, and Jeremy Wrathall, CEO and founder of Cornish Lithium, about developments in this area and what the future may hold for the UK’s lithium reserves.
Mine for the future T
he global importance of lithium as a major component of EV car battery manufacturing can’t be overstated. The problem, however, is that the production sourcing numbers make for eye- watering reading in terms of geopolitical dependency. While ‘Western-friendly’ Australia produced 55,000 metric tonnes in 2021 – twice that of Chile, three times that of China – it’s an unavoidable reality that the geopolitically less-friendly China remains a significant player on the world stage. With global supply chains having become frayed, alarm bells have been sounding off as consuming nations scramble to secure supply sources to fill the current supply and demand gap. Ironically, lithium as a metal isn’t that scarce – global reserves in 2021 amounted to 22 million metric tonnes, with 74% of global end-use earmarked for batteries, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Factor in ongoing exploration, and identified lithium resources have now risen substantially to an estimated 89 million metric tonnes. To put all of this in context, Neil Glover, president of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3), notes that a typical BEV might contain around 24kg of lithium, 80kg of copper and a tonne of steel, adding that the country that dominates material supply may
also be able to control prices or limit exports. China, for example, provides 98% of the EU’s supply of rare earth elements (REE), according to the European Commission. Moreover, supply in this space may be dependent upon a single company, as in the cases of hafnium and strontium supply in the EU, Glover adds, “which is an uncomfortable position for a customer [to be in]”. In addition, extraction may be limited by nature or practicality.
“The importance of securing a robust supply of certain CRMs (critical raw materials) is evident in BEV sourcing, where a large proportion of the value – 50–75% – and embedded energy is in the raw materials, particularly in the battery and power- related components,” says Glover.
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