Lithium is one of the fastest-growing high-tech metals and plays
a vital role in emerging industries. Since 2020, flourishing sales
of new electric vehicles (BEV, PHEV) and government policy
stimulations have led to an unprecedented demand shock in the
global market.
In this article, we look at the lithium industry chain, the
distribution of lithium sources both globally and in China, the
application of lithium sources demands as well as the status quo of
the sustainability of lithium mining exploration.
Lithium industry chain
Lithium is a powdery white metal used in many rechargeable
batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs) and that store
electricity generated through renewable resources. The lithium
industry value chain can be divided into upstream, middle stream
and downstream. Lithium is generally extracted from one of two
sources: brines and hard rock. Hard rocks such as spodumene and
lepidolite are common sources of lithium.
