Growing demand for energy storage linked to decarbonisation is driving innovation in lithium-ion battery (LiB) technology and, at the same time, transforming the organisation of established LiB production networks.
Analysis of material flow and network metrics of the lithium supply chain network In Fig. 1, China's lithium supply chain emerges as a linchpin in the global lithium market, accounting for 80.61% of global lithium resource consumption in 2021—equivalent to 456.29 kt of LCE.
Battery End-Use Applications: Another new node representing the fast-growing lithium battery application sector, emphasizing China's role in this emerging field.) In 2021, lithium carbonate production reached 283.84 kt of LCE, comprising 70.35% of the nation's total lithium chemical output.
As clearly observed from Fig. 3, the annual disturbance to network resilience from the top import nodes in terms of TNRI-CV increased year by year. This indicated that the influence of key importing countries on the stability of China's lithium supply chain increased progressively.
The availability of lithium in the EU27 for manufacturing batteries for battery-driven vehicles: the impact of recycling and substitution on the confrontation between supply and demand until 2050 (Resourc. Pol., 2013, pp. 204 - 211). This paper discusses the availability of lithium in the EU27 for battery-driven vehicles.
The raw material supply is primarily concentrated in a few countries, such as Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and China, which together account for most of the world's lithium production. In contrast, lithium batteries are mainly produced and consumed in China, Japan, and South Korea (USGS, 2022).