{"id":11360,"date":"2019-06-25T12:00:14","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T12:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/?p=11360"},"modified":"2026-02-02T21:51:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:51:16","slug":"lithium-producing-countries-becoming-lithium-battery-producers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/lithium-producing-countries-becoming-lithium-battery-producers\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithium Producing Countries Becoming Lithium Battery Producers?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Spodumene,

Spodumene<\/p><\/div>\n

We recently wrote about how old mines are re-opening so mining operators can extract the lithium that might remain.\u00a0 We explained how the increase in exploration may have to do with the U.S. Department of the Interior, in coordination with other executive branch agencies, including lithium on its list of 35 critical minerals. (Read the article here Lithium Still a Valued Source, Encouraging Old Mines to Re-Open<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

As we mentioned in the article, strategic alliances and joint ventures among technology companies and exploration companies continue to be established to ensure a reliable, diversified supply of lithium for battery suppliers and vehicle manufacturers.<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s a new twist to this story.\u00a0 Bloomberg reports<\/a> that rather than dig out minerals and see others abroad get rich with them, Chile and Australia want to keep production at home and profits in their own pockets.<\/p>\n

These two countries provide over 75% of the worldwide lithium raw material supply (see chart below), while most of this processing takes place in China.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The article says that the two mining nations hope to bring in refining and manufacturing plants that could help kickstart domestic technology industries. Because the countries have the supply of lithium, they want to attract companies that could transform the raw materials into chemical components used in batteries and electronics.<\/p>\n

According to the 2017 USGS\u00a0Critical Mineral Resources of the United States report<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>lithium minerals form only when rare combinations of favorable factors line up.<\/p>\n

Most of the known lithium minerals are found in coarsely crystalline granites known as lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites. In terms of lithium resources, the most important minerals are spodumene and petalite (both lithium aluminum silicates) and the pink mica lepidolite (potassium lithium aluminum silicate). The main lithium mineral in sedimentary rocks is the clay hectorite\u2026. <\/em><\/p>\n

Present and potential sources of lithium worldwide are broken down by deposit type, as follows: closed-basin brines, 58 percent; pegmatites (including lithium-enriched granites), 26 percent; lithium-clays (hectorite), 7 percent; and oilfield brines, geothermal brines, and lithium-zeolites (jadarite), 3 percent each.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Lithium minerals are extracted using open pit mining and spodumene is the most common ore with lithium concentrations as high as 4.8% (Australia), as reported by Design News<\/em><\/a> last year. The article explained that lumps of granite are crushed and then milled and sent to flotation cells, where minerals are separated. The spodumene is finally concentrated to a level of about 5% to 7% which is sent on to be further chemically processed to produce lithium carbonate.<\/p>\n

During hard rock mining, portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers used in mining<\/a> provide assay data within seconds, allowing for real-time ore deposit modeling and ore grade control. Traditional mining sample analysis often involves a costly and time-consuming process of sending samples to off-site laboratories and waiting days, even weeks, for the results.<\/p>\n

Whilst direct analysis of Lithium is not possible with handheld XRF due to x-ray physics limitations, latest generation instruments can be used effectively to identify a key suite of whole rock and associated pathfinder elements, namely; K, Ca, Rb, Sr, Y, Nb, Sn, Cs, Ta +\/- Sb, W, Bi, As, Ga, Tl + rare earth elements (REE\u2019s) of La & Ce<\/p>\n

Handheld XRF analyzers<\/a> can provide laboratory-grade sample analysis for rapid feedback during drilling operations, or to prequalify samples for off-site lab analysis. Some of these analyzers allow miners and geologists to identify element concentrations at or below the averages naturally found in the earth’s crust, detecting even the most subtle geochemical anomalies.<\/p>\n

Faster analysis is good news for the lithium producers.\u00a0 Recently Green Car Reports<\/em><\/a> predicted that lithium battery production was set to grow 50 percent a year, and this \u201chas left some automakers planning big investments in electric cars at the mercy of battery suppliers and led to delays in some products and likely to lower production of some models than the automakers could sell.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the biggest lithium-producing companies become the biggest lithium component manufacturers, some products may be quicker to market than they have been.<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: Explore more aspects of mining, exploration, processing, and analysis in the\u00a0<\/em>Cement, Coal, and Minerals Learning Center<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We recently wrote about how old mines are re-opening so mining operators can extract the lithium that might remain.\u00a0 We explained how the increase in exploration may have to do with the U.S. Department of the Interior, in coordination with other executive branch agencies, including lithium on its list of 35 critical minerals. (Read the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":11376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"division":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11360","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-elemental-geochemical-analysis","8":"category-exploration","9":"entry"},"_selected_authors":[1288],"_selected_reviewers":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLithium Producing Countries Becoming Lithium Battery Producers?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chile and Australia want to mine lithium and then manufacture products using the Li mineral. 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According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), about 85% of potash is used in fertilizers, underscoring its critical role in global farming systems.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Data Management\/Lab Automation"","block_context":{"text":"Data Management\/Lab Automation","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/data-management-lab-automation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"potash evaporation ponds at mining site","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13977,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/what-is-in-situ-geochemical-analysis-and-why-it-is-critical-for-modern-field-operations\/","url_meta":{"origin":11360,"position":1},"title":"What Is In Situ Geochemical Analysis \u2014 And Why It Is Critical for Modern Field Operations","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"March 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In situ geochemical analysis has become a cornerstone of modern mineral exploration, mining, and environmental fieldwork. As project timelines tighten and operational costs increase, organizations can no longer afford delays caused by traditional laboratory testing workflows. In situ analysis \u2014 the ability to measure elemental composition directly at the sampling\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Exploration"","block_context":{"text":"Exploration","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/exploration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Close up of industrial worker holding mineral ore in gloved hands on mining site","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-896157842.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-896157842.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-896157842.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-896157842.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-896157842.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-896157842.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1624,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/a-halloween-treat-free-periodic-table\/","url_meta":{"origin":11360,"position":2},"title":"A Halloween Treat – Free Periodic Table","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"October 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"No tricks here. Download this handy periodic table and X-ray energy reference guide to help in analyzing your mining samples. \u00a0It's our treat. Then visit our Mining and Minerals, Cement Production, and Coal Power pages for more goodies. Download Periodic Table.\u00a0 \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Elemental\/Geochemical Analysis"","block_context":{"text":"Elemental\/Geochemical Analysis","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/elemental-geochemical-analysis\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"halloween scene with plastic pumpkin and candy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/No-Tricks-.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13986,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/best-practices-for-accurate-in-situ-geochemical-analysis\/","url_meta":{"origin":11360,"position":3},"title":"Best Practices for Accurate In Situ Geochemical Analysis","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"March 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In situ geochemical analysis refers to elemental testing performed directly on geological materials in their natural location, avoiding the delays and costs associated with laboratory testing.\u00a0 While in situ geochemical analysis delivers immediate elemental data, the reliability of those results depends heavily on proper field methodology. Portable analytical technologies used\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Exploration"","block_context":{"text":"Exploration","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/exploration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mining truck on a dirt road in the Andes, Chile (near Embalse El Yeso, Caj\u00f3n del Maipo, San Jos\u00e9 de Maipo)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/iStock-2222354034.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13544,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/did-you-read-these-mining-and-minerals-articles-yet\/","url_meta":{"origin":11360,"position":4},"title":"Did You Read These Mining and Minerals Articles Yet?","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"December 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"According to Google, here are the Top 10 read articles this year from Advancing Mining. Some have been around for quite awhile, but are still as relevant as ever. If you missed any of the latest articles, just click\u00a0here\u00a0to see the most recently published articles. You can even filter by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General\/Industry"","block_context":{"text":"General\/Industry","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/general-industry-mining\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Top 10, words, isolated on a dark blue background. Alphabet on stone blocks.Rating. Rating concept. 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