China finds greener way to make lithium batteries

[TaiShang]

China finds greener way to make lithium batteries

(Xinhua) 08:16, June 11, 2018

A new method for extracting lithium in a greener and more efficient way has passed China's state-level appraisal, paving way for its commercialization to boost the new energy sector.

Qiu Zumin, professor of the institute of environmental science and engineering in Nanchang University, said the new lithium extraction technology has passed the national scientific and technological achievements appraisal. It is expected to replace current lithium extraction methods in China, which have been blamed for producing huge amounts of waste, and have low profitability.

Lithium batteries are essential to power modern electronic devices, such as mobile phones, laptops and electronic cars. Lithium is also used in medicine, pottery, glass and other industries.

Lithium cells rely on lithium carbonate as the raw material. China imports 80 percent of its lithium carbonate, though it is rich in lithium resources, due to backward mining technology.

With traditional methods, 30-40 tonnes of waste are produced in making 1 tonne of lithium carbonate. It is also very costly to treat the waste.

The new method is jointly developed by the Jiangxi Haohai Lithium Energy, Nanchang University and other institutions. It can separate all the elements in lithium micas.

Peng Guiyong, chair of Haohai, said the company plans to invest 1 billion yuan (156 million US dollars) to build a production line with an annual capacity of 40,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate.

Jiangxi boasts the world's largest lithium mica mine. The province's reserve of lithium oxide accounts for one-third of China's total.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2018/0611/c90000-9469752.html

 

[cirr]

Ministry unveils plans to power up lithium-ion battery firms

2019-01-03 10:16:56 China Daily Editor : Mo Hong'e

Workers assemble lithium-ion batteries at a production line in Liaoning province. (Photo by Bai Tiejun/For China Daily)

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched a draft on Wednesday to promote the development of lithium-ion batteries, which industry insiders said is part of the nation's accelerated effort to boost the new energy sector.

In the draft, the ministry encouraged companies to perfect top-level policy design of lithium-ion battery and to push for the automation of production procedures.

"(The move) aims to help firms in the sector to reduce costs and shorten the production cycle. It also aims to improve energy utilization efficiency," said the draft.

An industry expert from the China Center for Information Industry Development, who declined to disclose his name, said that the draft mainly aims to promote the transformation and upgrading of the lithium-ion battery sector, which will be a "critical" factor in new energy vehicle development.

"Like other industries, the sector needs to be upgraded to a high-quality and healthier phase to tap into the higher demand from new energy sectors, especially from NEVs," he said.

The ministry also announced the third batch of companies that meet the national lithium-ion battery standard. Shanghai BYD Co Ltd and Qinhuangdao Xinchi Photoelectricity Technology Co Ltd are among those on the list.

Lithium-ion batteries, with a greater life span and power density, are the most favorable power batteries.

Han Xiaoping, an energy expert and also head of energy information website China5e, noted that solving the problem of lithium-ion batteries marks a big step in popularizing new energy vehicles.

"China has already led the world in the production of lithium-ion batteries. The growth momentum needs to be maintained through more innovative measures and a sound market environment," said Han.

China manufactured more than 10 billion lithium-ion batteries in 2017, which was a 28 percent increase year-on-year. The figure is expected to reach 12.1 billion in 2018, a ministry report showed.

The capacity of all lithium-ion plants in China is expected to increase to 107.5 GWh totally by 2020, said a report from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a price data collection and assessment company focusing on the lithium-ion battery supply chain.

Han pointed out that recycling electric vehicle batteries will be another important task for the nation's battery sector.

His words echo the top authorities' green drive. The ministry last July encouraged automakers to establish recycling service outlets and cooperate with battery producers, used-car dealers and scrap merchants to build regional recycling systems.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2019-01-03/detail-ifzcitha9949933.shtml