Battery‐Grade Lithium Materials: Virgin Production and Recycling, a Techno‐Economic Comparison
Sabine M. Gallagher, Nighat Afroz Chowdhury, Qiang Dai, Jeffrey S. Spangenberger
Abstract
Abstract Lithium has been identified as an essential mineral to the economic and national security of the United States. It is vital for rechargeable batteries that surround us daily from the personal electronics to large‐scale energy storage. With a comprehensive techno‐economic analysis, the cost of battery‐grade lithium compounds production, i.e., lithium carbonate (LC) is evaluated and lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM), from both virgin (spodumene ore and brine) and recycled feedstocks (spent lithium‐ion batteries). The goal of this study is to inform about the economics of lithium compounds production with comprehensive insights into differences in manufacturing routes and pave a pathway to explore more innovative, domestic manufacturing processes in future for their cost competitiveness and environmental impact. The study includes details on mining and extraction operations as well as unit level operation in the refining process. Moreover, process level information has been collected for pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical battery recycling routes. This analysis shows that brine and direct lithium extraction are the cheapest pathways to produce LC or LHM (between $3.39 and 6.20 kg −1 ). The cost of production in the ore and recycling routes can range between $4.17 and $53.41 kg −1 and is highly depending on capital equipment investment, plant location, and the price of spodumene concentrate SC6.0.