The Hunt for Lithium Resources Has China Looking in Dumpsters in an Effort to Offset Demand - Seite 2

Second, it has the greatest electrochemical potential, meaning that various lithium configurations can produce greater voltage than most chemical elements.

These qualities combine to form an extraordinarily high energy density.

In recent years, scientists have been able to correct many of the deficiencies that were characteristic of Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, making the electronics world increasingly dependent on the metal.

One challenge that has been hard to overcome is the relative rarity of pure lithium ore in the natural world. However, the relatively short life span of electronics and mobile devices means that literally tons of the stuff is currently sitting in dumps across the world.

This has set big consumers of lithium, like China, on a path to recycle.

CHINA LOOKS TO RECYCLING 

In China, lithium recycling is already big business, as manufacturers look to fill the gap left by lithium ore scarcity. The Chinese recycling market has been largely shaped by recovery of components from discarded televisions and laptops, but as discarded electric vehicles begin to find their way to the dumps, lithium companies are looking to capitalize.

China is already the world's largest electric vehicle market by a large margin, accounting for 40% of global sales in 2016. To feed this, along with the mobile device market, 6.7 billion batteries were produced in the country last year, which was a 51% percent hike from the previous year.

In 2018, industry experts estimate that China could produce 170,000 tons of lithium battery waste, a figure that is expected to rise even further in coming years.

While battery waste poses potential environmental hazards, it also provides an opportunity for companies in the recycling industry.

By 2023, it is estimated that China's battery recycling market could be worth a staggering $4.68 billion.

QMC QUANTUM'S ANSWER: LITHIUM IN CANADA 

In spite of the efforts by China and others to recycle, it is apparent that other new sources of lithium will be needed to meet the soaring demand.

One answer is to look in Canada where historical hard-rock resources are already in place.

Canadian miner QMC Quantum Minerals has been assembling mineral interests since 2010, but made the move into lithium with the acquisition of the Cat Lake Lithium Property (formerly known as the Irgon Mine) in 2016.