The world’s largest lithium producer, Albemarle Corporation, operates at the Chilean resource of Salar de Atacama in partnership with the second biggest producer, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM). Geological Survey, four mineral operations in Australia, two brine operations each in Argentina and Chile, and two brine and one mineral operation in China accounted for the majority of global lithium production in 2021. Here’s a look at lithium resources and production by country: CountryĪccording to the U.S. Lithium can also be extracted from lithium clays, but there’s still no commercial scale of production for this method of extraction. As the magma cools, water and other minerals become concentrated. Mineral/Hard Rock: Lithium found in ‘hard rock’ is a part of minerals hosted in pegmatites, rock units formed when mineral-rich magma intrudes from magma chambers into the Earth’s crust. Although abundant in nature, only select regions in the world contain brines, mostly in South America. Brine: Lithium brine deposits are accumulations of saline groundwater enriched in dissolved lithium.There are two primary sources to obtain lithium: The above infographic lists the world’s largest mining companies of the white metal by market capitalization. The World’s Top 10 Lithium Mining Companiesīattery demand for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and portable electronic devices is propelling lithium mining around the planet.Īs a result, worldwide lithium production increased by 21% in 2021 compared to 2020 to approximately 100,000 metric tons.
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