Chinese and Tibetan deposits and companies mining and exploring for lithium.
China’s
production of lithium is mainly from brine salts which is quite
complex, resulting the country being dependent on importing spodumene
concentrate which accounts for 66-70% of the market. Salt
lake lithium brine production in China is very limited. The industry
had an annual output of 10,000 tonnes in 2016 of lithium carbonate and
hydroxide. The lithium brine is mainly sourced from Qinghai Lithium Co, Ltd., Qinghai CITIC Guoan Co, Ltd., and Lanke Lithium Industry Co, Ltd. Every
year China imports a vast amount of spodumene concentrate, almost all
of it from Talison Mining (owned by Tianqi Group). According to
statistics in 2012 China imported 280,000 tonnes of spodumene
concentrate. In 2013 the country reduced its imports to 250,000 citing
high ore prices. The economic downturn lead to a reduction in spodumene
concentrate imports for 2013 however the imports have since recovered as
China imported 330,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate in 2014 and
360,000 tonnes in 2015. In
recent years China has become a considerably big consumer of lithium.
In 2014 China’s total consumption reached 65,800 tonnes, accounting for
40% of the world lithium consumption. By 2015, the annual consumption
rate of lithium increased 20% to 78,700 tonnes.(?) China
imported 2,474 tonnes of lithium carbonate in April 2017, up 33%
year-on-year and 20% month-on-month, while the average import price
reached a historical record at $11,552.66/tonne for the month, surging
63% year-on-year and 3% month-on-month.
Zabuye Salt Lakes (also spelled Zhabuye and
Zabuye Caka) and DXC (also spelled Dangxiongcuo and Damxung Co) salt
lakes are located in the south western region of the Tibet Plateau, a
region containing lakes with high lithium content and low Mg/Li ratios. Zabuye consists of two lakes (South and North Zabuye), which are connected by a channel. South Zabuye has an area of 145 km and presents intercrystal and surface brine; North Zabuye’s area is 98 km2
and only presents surface brine. Lithium concentration is 1,413 (mg/L)
in South Zabuye’s intercrystal brine, 896 (mg/L) in South Zabuye’s
surface brine, and 1,527 (mg/L) in North Zabuye’s surface brine.
The Qaidam Basin,
also known as Tsaidam Basin, occupies the north-western part of China’s
Qinghai province on the Plateau of Tibet. The basin has an area of
34,700 square miles and contains 37 lakes, of which 28 are considered
salt lakes located at an average elevation of 9,150 feet over sea level.
Lakes in the basin are characterized by higher Mg/Li ratios and lower
Li concentration than lakes in the rest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
High Mg/Li ratios had been a hindrance to lithium extraction; however,
in 2004, Blue Star Changsha Design and Research Institute demonstrated
the feasibility of commercial production of lithium carbonate with a new
technology to treat these high-Mg content brines. Reserve estimates for
deposits in the Qaidam Basin range from 1 to 3.1 Mt. An important
reason for the difference is that Garret and Evans give resources
estimates for one lake only; whereas Clarke and Harben, as well as
Yaksic and Tilton, give estimates for three lakes and the entire basin,
respectively. Another reason for the difference might be the lack of
primary data available and the fact that some articles use
significantly different spellings for the translation of lake names.
Evans also cited this issue as a reason for the reduced reliability of
the Chinese reserve estimates he presents. A reserve estimate for the
Qaidam basin is 2.02 Mt of lithium.
The
largest reported lithium-bearing pegmatite in China is Jiajika in the
eastern part of the Tibet plateau. The spodumene-bearing pegmatite is
ported to contain lithium reserves of 0.48Mt. Another pegmatite in the
area, Barkam, is reported to contain 0.22Mt. The Altai pegmatite field in Northwestern China extends for about 150 kilometres in a northwest–southeast direction and contains thousands of pegmatites, some of which are reported to have outcrop lengths as high as ~0.7 kilometres. The producing site with the largest pegmatite is the Koktokay No. 3 pegmatite, which has an oblate outcrop measuring about 120 x 220 metres. The Nanping district in Southeastern China contains at least 500 pegmatite bodies, which have been mined for tin, lithium, cesium, beryllium and tantalum.
- China Lithium Products Technology Co. Ltd (上海中锂实业有限公司) specializes in exploration of Li and metal resources, including mining, mineral separation , research and production. At present, the company owns four big and medium size lithium mines. It owns the hard rock Severia mines in Sichuan. The lithium mines possess an annual production capacity of over 1.5 million tonnes of lithium minerals. The company produces lithium carbonate at a rate of 3900MT/Year and lithium hydroxide monohydrate at a rate of 5000MT/Year.
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Citic Guoan Lithium Science & Technology Company Ltd (青海中信国安科技发展有限公司) CITIC Guoan Technology Development Co., Ltd. was established in Kunlun Economic Development Zone in Golmud City in March 2003 with a registered capital of RMB 1.2 billion. As a high-tech chemical company with integrated business of resources development, comprehensive utilization, technical research and development, R&D in new material and new products, the company is engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and sales of potassium, lithium, boron, and magnesium in Qaidam Basin and West Taijnar Salt Lake. As a salt lake mining field with great potential deposits of magnesium sulfate, West Taijnar Salt Lake holds 26 million of potassium chloride in liquid reserves and 40 million tons in solid reserves; 3.08 million tons of lithium chloride, 1.62 million tons of diboron trioxide, 164,577,500 tons of magnesium chloride, and 221,9223 million tons of sodium chloride. After years of development, the company has manufacturing facilities with an annual output of 300,000 tons of potassium sulphate, 300,000 tons of potassium chloride, 45 0,000 tons of potassium magnesium fertilizer, 20,000 tons of lithium carbonate, 10,000 tons of refined boron acid, 100,000 tons of magnesium oxide as well as auxiliary production and living facilities in salt pan, power plant and living areas. Lithium is being extracted from Xitai Lake (Qaidam Basin) by Qinghai Guoan, a subsidiary of CITIC Guoan Information Industry Co. Ltd. Qinghai Guoan Co’s plant has a 5,000 tpa Li2CO3 capacity and is projected to expand to 30,000 tpa. CITIC Guoan Lithium Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd, a sub-division of CITIC Guoan Group, also owns the Gajika Mine, which is estimated to have 1,266,000 tons of reserve as counted by lithium oxide. 1,266,000 tonnes of Li2O are equivalent to approximately 591,000 tonnes of lithium.
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Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. (002460:CH) is one of the world’s leading Lithium manufacturers, established in China in 2000 and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange since 2010. Ganfeng has experienced rapid growth in recent years, consequently forming several highly specialized Lithium production subsidiaries and most recently commissioning a new facility in China adding 500mt/y Li metal to its current 1000mt/y Li production capacity. The company exports and produces over 20 unique lithium products for various applications worldwide. This includes Li metal batteries for which GFL has developed a breakthrough technology that shortens the industry standard production process. Ganfeng Lithium is not only International Lithium Corporation’s strategic partner but also has a 17% ownership in the company. The parties are now jointly working on developing the Avalonia Lithium Pegmatite project in Ireland and Mariana Lithium Brine project in Argentina.
Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co.,Ltd (江西赣锋锂业股份有限公司) is
a hi-tech enterprise founded in 2000 and covers science, industry and
trade with an area of 300 Chinese acres. The corporate headquarter is
located at Longteng Road Xinyu Economic Development zone Jiangxi
Province. The main products are lithium chloride, lithium fluoride,
lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, lithium magnesium alloy and so on.
There are four subsidiary companies.
Lionergy Limited is a China based company specialized
in the Lithium industry. Its business scope covers spodumene
exploration, spodumene mine development, spodumene concentrate sales and
distribution, Li2CO3 and LiOH manufacturing and sales, Lithium metal manufacturing, cathode materials manufacturing for Li-ion batteries.
Qinghai Salt Lake Industry (青海锂业有限责任公司)
is extracting lithium from the Chaerhan Lake deposit (Qaidam Basin) and
claims it has proven reserves of 8 Mt of lithium chloride, equivalent
to 2.6 Mt of lithium. Lithium extraction in Dongtai Lake is also being
done by Qinghai Salt Lake Industry, whose plant has a 3,000 tpa Li2CO3 capacity and is projected to expand to 20,000 tpa.
Rong Jie Co., Ltd. (融捷股份有限公司
Shandong Mingrui Group,
a Chinese chemical group, bought the Bougouni lithium project in Mali
from Birimian Gold for $107.5 million. It has a 15.5 million tonne
resource grading 1.48 per cent lithium oxide.
Sichuan Dexin Mining Resources Ltd
is a metal ore mining in Abazangzuqiangzu Zizhizhou, China. The company
is located at Jimu Genzha, Jinchuan. This public company was founded in
2006. Owns the hard Rock Lijiagou Lithium Mine
Sichuan Ni & Co Company Ltd owns
the hard rock Maerkang mines. Sichuan Ni&Co Guorun New Materials
Co., Ltd. engages in research, production, and marketing of non-ferrous
metal ores. The company's three business units are mining and processing
of lithium compound products, recycling of non-ferrous metals, and
mining and processing of zinc. The company produces and processes
nickel, cobalt, copper, lead, zinc, silver, lithium hydroxide, lithium
carbonate, electrolytic nickel, electrolytic cobalt plate, and copper
cathode. The company exports its products to countries in European,
America and South-east regions. The company has sub-factories in
Sichuan, Jiangxi, and Tibet. The company was founded in 2004 and is
based in Meishan, China. The capacities for lithium products made from
spodumene and nickel products are the top, and we are the second
producer in China. Achievements embody not only on lithium, like
synthesis of rechargeable Li-ion battery anode materials, Li production
techniques, separation of Li from other non-ferrous metals and
distillation ofLi from saline brine, but also on comprehensive
utilization of Li resource and producing Ni metal from laterite by
hydrometallurgy techniques.
SICHUAN SHENG NI KEI GUO RUN XIN CAI LIAO CO.,LTD. is a sole sub company of CITIC Group. It owns Maerkang,
a pegmatite deposit containing spodumene, which is estimated to have
483,000 tons of reserve as counted by lithium oxide. 483,000 tonnes of
Li2O are equivalent to approximately 225,000 tonnes of lithium.
Sichuan Tianqi Shenghe Lithium Industries Inc (Tianqi Lithium or Tianqi Shenghe) founded
in October 1995 and listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) in 2010,
Sichuan Tianqi Lithium Industries Inc. (Tianqi Lithium) claims to be the
world’s largest company in producing lithium from ores. Tianqi Shenghe
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sichuan Tianqi Lithium Industries, Inc.
ad operates Yajiang County’ Cuola Spodumene Mine - West Block of the largest Jiajika Spodumene Mine
in Asia. Tianqi Lithium Industries is to build a A$400 million ($306
million) plant in Australia which it aims to open in late 2018,
expanding its output of the material mainly for lithium batteries used
in electric cars and high-end energy storage. The plant will take ore
from the Greenbushes mine and would be able to produce 24,000 tonnes a
year of lithium hydroxide, boosting Tianqi's processing capacity by more
than 50 percent, the company said in a statement.
Sichuan Yahua Industrial Group Co., Ltd. (Yahua)
specializes in civil explosive material research, production, and
providing blasting services. Lithium resource development,through Lijiagou spodumene mine which is
Asia's largest with lithium oxide equivalent resources amounting to
510,000 tons. Manufacturing of lithium salts and compounds includes
lithium hydroxide 12,000 tonnes, battery grade lithium carbonate 1,800
tonnes, 2,500 tons of industrial grade lithium carbonate, lithium
dihydrogen phosphate, 2,500 tons of battery grade lithium manganese
oxide production capacity of 200 tons.
Tianqi Lithium (天齐锂业股份有限公司)
is a leading global supplier of lithium products, with major businesses
including lithium resource development and exploitation, downstream
production processing and trade for a diverse range of high quality
lithium products including mineral concentrates. alison Lithium,
controlled by Tianqi, mines and possesses the world's largest and
highest grade spodumene reserves in Greenbushes, Western Australia. This
asset has been exploited for more than 25 years. Tianqi’s wholly-owned
Cuola lithium ore reserves in Yajiang County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan
Province, are part of asignificant spodumene reserves in Jiajika, Ganzi,
which is now considered one of the largest spodumene reserves
throughout Asia. Tianqi also has a share holding interest in Zhabuye
Salt Lake Lithium Project, located in Shigatse, Tibet, which has
millions of tonnes of lithium reserves, which are well-known for their
high quality within China and abroad. Tianqi owns and operates two of
the largest single point lithium production plants in the world as
follows: Tianqi Lithium Battery Material Industrial Zone, in Shehong
County, Sichuan Province. The world's largest battery-grade lithium
carbonate production base in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province. Kwinana
lithium hydroxide production base in Western Australia is under
construction.
Tibet Mineral Development Co.,Ltd, the only listed mining company in Tibet,
will focus on lithium development in the region. The company holds 40
percent the shares of the Shengyuan Mining Group Corporation, which was
founded on Dec. 16, 2009 and is expected to serve as a major platform
for restructuring Tibet's mining industry. As the largest shareholder of
the corporation, the Shenzhen-listed company is assigned to exploit
mineral resources. At present Tibet Mineral Development company's
business lines include mineral resources like chromium iron, copper and
lithium. Of these, the lithium carbonate project in the Zhabuye Salt Lake
will become a focal point of its development. The lake's lithium
carbonate reserves are estimated at 2.4 million tons. The company plans
to form an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons in the first phase
of construction and 20,000 tons in the second phase. The company aims to
become the biggest lithium producer in China after integrating the
lithium resources in other salt lakes in the region. Statistics show
that Tibet has 490 salt lakes with a water surface topping one sq km,
with the reserves of only seven verified.
Tibet Saline Lake Mining High-Science & Technology Co., a joint venture between Sterling Group Ventures and Zhong Chuan exploits the DXC Lake’s lithium thium resource.
Tibet Zabuye Lithium High-Tech Co., Ltd. is held by . The company focuses on the research and refining process of lithium carbonate, and owns saline development rights.
Western Mining Company Ltd (西部资源控股股份有限公司) is
a large listed miner specializing in mining resource development in
West China. WMC mainly mines, processes, smelts and trades nonferrous
metals and ferrous metals including copper, lead, zinc, aluminum and
iron ore. It operates eight mines and five smelters. WMC is the second
largest lead concentrate producer, the fourth largest zinc concentrate
producer and the eighth copper concentrate producer in China. Its subsidiary, Qinghai Lithium Co., Ltd.,
incorporated in Xining City, the capital city of Qinghai Province,
mainly develops, produces and sells lithium salt, potassium salt, boric
acid salt, magnesium and other chemical products. Its production base is
in Xitai Jinaier Salt Lake, Haixizhou. It also runs the Qinghai Salt Lake Lithium Extraction and Resource Integrated Utilization Industry Project.
So far Qinghai Lithium has built a production line which produces 3,000
tons’ lithium carbonate, 25,000 tons’ potassium and 2,500 tons’ boracic
acid every year. Phase II project with a planned investment of RMB1.7
billion is under construction. When it is completed, the Company will
have an annual capacity of 21,000 tonnes lithium carbonate, 225,000
tonnes potassium and 22,500 tonnes boracic acid. The Company is planning
to build a power battery cathode materials plant using lithium
carbonate as raw material.
Zhabuye Lithium owns
20-year exclusive mining rights for the Zhabuye salt lake, the biggest
lithium mine in China. The lake gives its name to the mineral zabuyelite
(lithium carbonate, Li2CO3), which was discovered here in 1987. Chinese
car and battery maker BYD (1211.HK)
acquired an 18 percent stake in Zhabuye Lithium for 201 million yuan
($29.89 million). Apart from lithium carbonate, the lake has high
content of borax and also contains mirabilite and other alkali metal
salts with a total content of 360–410 g/L. The approximate elemental
concentrations in the brine in g/L are as follows: Na (160), K (60), Li
(1.5), Rb (0.25), Cs (0.1), SO4 (20), CO3 (90), Cl (120), Br (3), I(0.02), B (3). The water density is about 1.4 g/cm3
and pH about 10. The lithium content, 1.53 g/L, nearly corresponds to
the solubility limit of lithium carbonate in water and is second highest
in the world. The
production of zabuyelite from the salt lake water began in 2004–2005,
after exploration work for the mineral was initiated in 1982. In 1984,
lithium was found in micro-fine sediments of the lake and considered
amenable to refining in large quantities. Production started from a
brine grading 0.12% Li. The company involved with the extraction has a
plant at the lake which had the total capacity of 5,000 tonnes and
produced 1,556.5 tonnes of lithium carbonate in 2008. Its capacity was
projected to increase to 20,000 tonnes in the near future. A reserve of
1.53 million tonnes Li (8.3 million tonnes of carbonate) is claimed, but
this estimate is considered as overly optimistic. Established in 1999, Tibet Zabuye Lithium High-Tech Co., Ltd. is held by Tibet Mining Co., Ltd. The company focuses on the research and refining process of lithium carbonate, and owns saline development rights.
Zhonghe Co., Ltd.(福建众和股份有限公司)
