Lithium's 'traditional' markets and their price buffer role

• Autores: Josie Shillito
• Localización: Industrial Minerals, ISSN 0019-8544, Nº. 571, 2015 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Abril)
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Consuming around two thirds of lithium production worldwide, according to Roskill Information Services, these applications are valuable consumers of globally expanding lithium capacity. The ongoing usage of lithium in glass and greases puts a cap on lithium pricing, as end users are unlikely to spend more than $6,000/tonne on lithium for grease. Until lithium substitutes are found, the so-called traditional applications market will keep prices from spiking due to electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage demand.

    As a mineral concentrate or purified chemical, it can alter the quality of glass by increasing durability without affecting the other qualities such as density. In ceramics, lithium oxide (Li[subscript]2 O), or 'lithia', is used to reduce melting temperature and improve brilliance. The texture of lithium cryolite (chemically named trilithium hexafluoroaluminate, or [Li][subscript]3 AlF[subscript]6 ) makes it suitable for abrasives, welding agents and soldering, while lithium carbonate's (Li[subscript]2 CO[subscript]3 ) water and CO[subscript]2 absorption qualities make it a highly effective component in greases and lubricants.

    [Luke Kissam] said that Albemarle had been looking to enter the lithium market for some time and that Rockwood had been an obvious "strategic fit" for the chemicals manufacturer, which makes bromine-based flame retardants and catalysts, and that Albemarle was "undecided" about whether it would continue with its own lithium carbonate project in Magnolia, Arkansas.