Note: this post is very fragmented, but I was curious about the history of lithium mining in the US. Various internet sources have not been updated and continue to post outdated (and incorrect) information, as noted below. If this is important to you, go to better sources. This was for my own benefit to help me understand the history and background of lithium mining.
This all started when Dakota Lithium led me to Battery Mineral Resources Panamint Valley. This was not easy to find. Archived.
Lithium Corporation of America, from wiki. I have no idea how accurate or dated this is. Note the dates, going back to 1985.
Lithium Corporation of America is a mining company which mined lithium-bearing spodumene and pegmatite ores near Bessemer City, Gaston County, North Carolina, United States and in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
In 1985, Lithium Corporation of America was acquired by FMC Corporation, formerly known as Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation. At the time it was acquired, the company was the world's largest producer of lithium. FMC's lithium operations are now known as FMC Lithium. [No longer accurate; continue reading.]
FMC Corporation (Food Machinery Corporation), from wiki
FMC is an American chemical manufacturing company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which originated as an insecticide producer and later diversified into other industries.
In 1941 at the beginning of WWII, the company received a contract to design and build amphibious tracked landing vehicles for the United States Department of War, and afterwards the company continued to diversify its products. FMC employs 7,000 people worldwide, and had gross revenues of US$2.8 billion in 2017.
In 2018, FMC was planning to spin off its lithium segment. Link here. In a press release, dated July 26, 2018, FMC Corporaiton said that its lithium materials business will be known at Livent Corporation.
June 22, 2020, Motley Fool:
- more than enough lithium; a commodity; volatile pricing
- Livent Corporation: LTHM
- two main lithium componds
- lithium carbonate
- from brine deposits; namely those in South America (think Livent)
- lithium hydroxide
- produced from rock deposits; primarily those in western Australia
- Albermarle (ALB): world's leading lithium producer
Tesla, Reuters, September 24, 2020, link here.
The lede from the linked Reuters article:Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk told shareholders on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, Tesla has secured rights to 10,000 acres in Nevada where it aims to produce lithium from clay deposits using a process developed internally.
The move would make Tesla the first company in the world to commercially produce the white metal from clay.
Lithium is produced either from brine, commonly found in South America (think Livent), or spodumene hard rock, usually in Australia (think Albermarle).
From the linked Reuters article:
Tesla Inc's plan to produce lithium for electric vehicle batteries close to its Nevada Gigafactory faces stark challenges from the outset, including an onerous permitting process, uncertain access to water and questions about unproven methodologies.
Nevada already has several lithium clay projects under development, including one from Lithium Americas Corp (LAC.TO) that has been seeking federal permit approval for more than a decade and another from Ioneer Ltd (INR.AX).
"Mining lithium is very challenging," said Pedro Palandrani of the Global X Lithium & Battery Technology ETF which holds shares in Tesla and lithium producers. "If Tesla really wants to fly solo, we're talking about four to five years to really see any kind of lithium production."
Back to Nevada:
Tesla’s plan also would likely require substantial amounts of water, forcing the company to battle with cattle ranchers for access to underground reservoirs in the arid state.
Albemarle Corp operated the only existing U.S. lithium mine at a site roughly 200 miles (322 km) north of Las Vegas until it shut it down last month (August, 2020).
Operational since the late 1960s, the site produced less than 5,000 tonnes of lithium per year, a relatively small amount and far less than Tesla would need.
Worldwide lithium mine production from 2010 to 2019 in metric tons at this link. From that link:
Lithium is widely present worldwide, but due to its high reactivity it does not naturally occur in its elemental form.
Chile and Australia have the first and second largest lithium reserves, respectively, in the world.
There are several key players involved in the lucrative global lithium mining business. Based on supply, Albemarle is the leading lithium company in the world.
Based on market capitalization, however, Tianqi Lithium was the leading lithium producing company in 2019.
Looking to the future, lithium producers have a strong outlook, as the total worldwide lithium demand is expected to increase significantly in the coming years.
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Top Ten Biggest Lithium Mines In The World
From Mining Technology, updated May 28, 2020.
Western Australia: five of the world's biggest lithium mines.
1. Sonora Lithium Project, 243.8 metric tons. Sonora, Mexico. JV, Mexico/Chinese. LCE. Open-pit. Environmental disaster.
2. Thacker Pass Lithium Project, 179.4 metric tons. Humboldt County, NV. Lithiums Americas. Pre-feasibility study completed in August, 2018. Phase one is expected to be commissioned in 2022; phase two, 2026. LCE. Open-pit. Environmental disaster.
3. Wodgina Lithium Project, 151.94 metric tons. Australia. Mineral Resources. JV with Albermarle. Spodumene. Open-pit, Environmental disaster. See screenshot below.
4. Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project, 108.2 metric tons. Australia. Pilbara Minerals. Spodumene. Open-pit. Environmental disaster.
5. Earl Grey Lithium Project, 94.2 metric tons. Australia. Kidman Resources, Chile (Covalent Lithium). Spodumene. Unsaid but probably open-pit. Expected to be commissioned in 2020.
6. Greenbushes Lithium Project, 86.4 metric tons. Australia. Chinese. Second and third processing plant were to be commissioned in 2019. Unsaid, but likely to be open-pit.
7. Whabouchi Lithium Project, 36.6 metric tons. Central Quebec, Canada. Canadian mining company. open-pit and underground mining. Production is was to have begun June, 2020.
8. Altura Mining's Pilgangoora Lithium, 34.2 metric tons. Australia. Open pit. Two stages. First stage commissioned in early 2019; second phase could begin in 2022, or thereabouts.
9. Goulamina Lithium Project, 31.2 metric tons. Southern Mali, operated by an Australian company. Open-cut. Currently carrying out the definitive feasibility study. FID on the project is expected to be taken in second half of 2020.
10. Arcadia Lithium Project, 26. 9 metric tons. Zimbabwe. Operated by an Australian mining company. Spodumene. The DFS was completed in November, 2018; currently under construction; expected to be commissioned in second half of 2020.
Open-pit lithium mine. Compare with a Bakken eco-pad.
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