Chinese scientists have developed a water-based battery with nearly double the energy density compared to traditional lithium batteries, according to new research published in a paper in Nature Energy. According to researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, tests revealed an impressive energy density of the iodine and bromine-based aqueous battery, reaching 1200 watt-hours per liter (Wh/L), surpassing the 700Wh/L of non-aqueous lithium batteries. The researchers also emphasized the safety advantages of their aqueous battery over non-aqueous lithium batteries, notorious for their high fl ..read more

The chairman of Chile’s state-run copper giant Codelco said on Monday that he expects to reach a lithium deal with mining company SQM on schedule, while noting many issues remain to be resolved. “We still have lots of pending issues and we have to work very hard,” said Codelco chairman Maximo Pacheco at an economic development event in the Chilean capital. The executive added that the agreement with SQM would give 70% of the partnership’s benefits to the government between 2025 and 2030, then rising to 85% from 2031. Codelco defends lithium deal ahead of SQM shareholder meeting Santiago-base ..read more

Eramine Sudamerica is set to inaugurate its first lithium carbonate plant in the northern Argentine province of Salta this July, setting it on track to become the South American country’s fourth producer of the key battery metal. The group, owned by French miner Eramet and Chinese steelmaker Tsingshan, expects to produce some 3,000 tons this year and ramp up to some 24,000 tons by 2025, the company’s sustainability director Constanza Cintioni told Reuters in an interview. Lithium, which is used for batteries in mobile phones and electric vehicles (EV), saw its price skyrocket over recent years ..read more

Albemarle, the world’s largest producer of lithium for electric vehicle batteries, could look at reducing capital expenditure in the coming years if lithium prices remain flat, the company said on Thursday. Executives at the North Carolina-based company spoke in a call with analysts a day after reporting first quarter revenue was down 47% year-on-year due to lower lithium prices tied to a slowdown in the growth of global EV sales. Albemarle maintained its outlook for the year, in which it plans to spend between $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion in capital expenditures, but said it may trim that am ..read more

Albemarle, the world’s largest producer of lithium for electric vehicle batteries, on Wednesday missed first quarter profit estimates on lower prices. Softening Electric Vehicle (EV) demand has knocked down global lithium prices, hitting lithium producers such as Albemarle. Many producers worldwide have cut production and reduced their workforce. Lithium prices had fallen by more than 80% in the year up to March, according to a basket tracked by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Albemarle’s biggest segment, which focuses on products and technologies that enable the development and production of ..read more

Shares in Patriot Battery Metals (TSX: PMET; US-OTC: PMETF; ASX: PMT) rose 4.5% to C$6.93 apiece Wednesday on news about lithium assays as high as 1.66% lithium oxide (Li2O) at its Corvette project in Quebec. That 126.3-metre interval, from hole CV24-374 at the CV5 target, included 54.9 metres at 2.50% Li2O, and was among other highlights from Patriot’s winter drill program, the company said in a Wednesday news release. Others included 70.1 metres at 2.44% Li2O, including 46.9 metres at 3.53% Li2O or 16.1 metres at 5.02% Li2O in CV24-401A, drilled into the high-grade Nova zone. This year’s now ..read more

Australia’s Anson Resources said on Wednesday it would supply 4,000 dry metric tons of lithium carbonate per year from its Paradox Basin project in Utah to South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution for an initial term of 5 years. The commodity lithium has gained quite a traction over the past few years in tandem with the global trend of transitioning into green energy with the use of electric vehicles at the forefront. However, with diminishing demand of electric vehicles from China – one of the world’s largest EV market – the prices for lithium, a key ingredient of EV batteries, have fall ..read more

Jiang Weiping, the founder of major Chinese lithium producer Tianqi Lithium Corp., resigned as chairman after the battery-material producer reported its biggest-ever quarterly loss of more than half a billion dollars. The billionaire who led Tianqi for more than two decades stepped down on Monday “in order to pass on the leadership of corporate governance to the next generation,” the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange. He will be replaced by his daughter, Jiang Anqi, who has been vice chair for two years. The elder Jiang was born in 1955, and founded Tianqi in the earl ..read more

Australia will tighten scrutiny of foreign investment into mining and refining of critical minerals as part of an overhaul of its national regime, while speeding up approvals in low-risk areas to boost economic growth. Treasurer Jim Chalmers will announce the changes in a speech to the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney on Wednesday, saying Australia welcomes international investment “but only if it’s in our national interest.” “Foreign investment is where the stovepipes of economic and national security have often failed to meet in the past,” he will say, according to excerpts released in ad ..read more

Lithium Ionic (TSXV: LTH; US-OTC: LTHCF) reported on Monday assays as high as 1.25% lithium oxide (Li2O) over 49.8 metres from drilling at its near-feasibility stage Bandeira project in eastern Brazil. That result included 1.46 Li2O over 27 metres from 55 metres depth, in drillhole ITDD-23-213. It’s one of 23 holes drilled at Bandeira, located in northern Minas Gerais state, Lithium Ionic said in a news release. Other highlights were 1.46% Li2O over 40 metres, including 2.02% Li2O over 6 metres, 1.83% Li2O over 7 metres and 3.38% Li2O over 5 metres, intersected from around 147 metres downhole ..read more