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JIULING LITHIUM is one of the only four large-scale companies in China with mica lithium extraction technology and mature production lines. The other three are YONGXING MATERIALS, JIULING LITHIUM and NANSHI LITHIUM. Among them, except for NANSHI LITHIUM's lithium resources, which mainly rely on the concentrate purchased from Yichun tantalum-niobium ore, the other three mainly rely on the supply of their own mines. In addition to these four companies, CATL, which ranks first among the Top 10 lithium battery companies, is also actively developing the relevant layout of mica for lithium extraction.
As mentioned above, these 5 companies constitute the Chinese Top 5 mica lithium extraction companies. This article provides you with a detailed introduction to the Top 5 mica lithium extraction companies in China, covering their development history, company basics, leading products and related industry layouts. It is designed to help you have a more in-depth understanding of the development of China's mica lithium extraction technology and the details of the industry's leading companies.
The strategic position of lithium mica highlights
Driven by huge demand, the price of lithium carbonate has been soaring. At the beginning of 2021, the price of lithium carbonate was about 50,000 RMB/ton, and by August 2021, the price of lithium carbonate was 100,000 RMB/ton. After that, the price of lithium carbonate has soared, and the price of lithium carbonate will increase by more than 430% in 2021. In 2022, the price of lithium will further soar, and the price of lithium carbonate has risen from about 300,000/ton at the beginning of the year to over 500,000/ton.
The data shows that from the perspective of the distribution of lithium resources, the global salt lake lithium, ore lithium and clay lithium account for 58%, 26% and 7% respectively. According to data, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile in South America account for 58% of the world's lithium reserves. In China, salt lake lithium accounts for 85% of China's total lithium resources, and it is difficult and costly to mine.
Industry data show that in 2021, the lithium salt produced by China's lithium resources is equivalent to about 160,000 tons of lithium carbonate, accounting for about 35% of China's lithium salt production. The dependence of lithium resources on other countries is as high as 65%. Among China's lithium resources, the production of lithium salt from salt lake brine is 60,000 tons, lepidolite concentrate is 60,000 tons, spodumene is 10,000 tons, and lithium-containing waste is recycled 30,000 tons.
In recent years, China's mica lithium extraction technology has made continuous breakthroughs, the production capacity has been gradually released, and the advantages of its own mines have been superimposed. The production cost of major manufacturers has dropped from the previous 80,000-100,000 RMB/ton to the current 35-45,000 RMB/ton. In addition to the significant cost reduction, China's lepidolite reserves can theoretically achieve lithium carbonate self-sufficiency.
The breakthrough of mica lithium extraction technology has promoted the relevant layout
It is expected that the global electric vehicle industry will grow significantly in the next 10 years. Under the current policy background, the global electric vehicle stock is expected to reach 145 million by 2030, and even reach 230 million under optimized conditions. Industry institutions predict that the total global demand for lithium carbonate for new energy vehicles will exceed 1 million tons in 2025; by then, the lithium carbonate gap will reach 160,000 tons, accounting for 13% of the gap.
With the optimization of the lithium extraction process from lepidolite, China's lepidolite has achieved large-scale production, and its advantages of abundant reserves and low raw ore cost have gradually emerged. The development of lepidolite to extract lithium will become a strategic need in China. It is estimated that in 2025, China's mica lithium extraction products are expected to exceed 200,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent.
With the breakthrough of the technical bottleneck of lithium extraction from mica, lepidolite has become a strategic lithium resource that cannot be underestimated. The breakthrough in mica lithium extraction technology has promoted the relevant layout of Top 5 mica lithium extraction companies. The four leading companies with mica lithium extraction technology have attracted much attention, and battery giants such as CATL and GOTION HIGH-TECH are also competing for layout.
Top 5 mica lithium extraction companies in China in 2022
① CATL
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Established date |
December 16, 2011 |
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Company location |
Fujian, China |
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Total market value |
1319.807 billion RMB |
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Company website |
Company profile:
CATL, ranked among the Top 5 mica lithium extraction companies in China, is the world's leading new energy innovation technology company, focusing on the R&D, production and sales of new energy vehicle power battery systems and energy storage systems, and is committed to providing first-class solutions for global new energy applications and service. Its core technologies include R&D and manufacturing capabilities of the entire industry chain in the fields of power and energy storage batteries, materials, cells, battery systems, battery recycling and secondary utilization. The biggest feature of the CATL is the ternary lithium battery, which has a higher battery life.
Core business:
Power and energy storage batteries, materials, cells, battery systems, battery recycling and secondary utilization.
Related layout:
In April this year, CATL announced that its holding subsidiary Yichun Times won the exploration right of ceramic soil (including lithium) in the Zhenkouli-Fengxin County Jianxiawo mining area in Yifeng County, Jiangxi Province. The exploration right covers an area of 6.44 square kilometers, with an inferred porcelain stone ore resource of 960.25 million tons and an associated lithium metal oxide of 2.6568 million tons.
Previously, CATL signed an agreement with the local government to invest 50 billion RMB to build a lithium battery project in Yichun, including a lithium carbonate battery material project with an annual output of 200,000 tons. In addition, CATL has also established a joint venture with Yongxing Materials, planning to build 6 million tons of mining, mineral processing capacity and 50,000 tons of lithium carbonate capacity projects.
② JIULING LITHIUM
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Established date |
March 24, 2011 |
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Company location |
Jiangxi, China |
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Register capital |
450 million RMB |
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Company website |
Company profile:
As one of the Top 5 mica lithium extraction companies in China, JIULING LITHIUM is mainly engaged in the research and development, production and sales of lithium salt products, forming a vertically integrated industrial chain of lithium-containing ore mining, ore sorting and comprehensive utilization, and lithium salt extraction and processing. Its core lithium salt products are battery-grade lithium carbonate and industrial-grade lithium carbonate.
When JIULING LITHIUM was established, it was mainly engaged in the sorting business of lithium-containing porcelain stone ore. It has now formed the vertical integrated production capacity of lithium carbonate and other lithium salt products, and has become one of the core companies in China to extract lithium salt from lepidolite.
Leading products:
Lithium products - battery grade lithium carbonate, industrial grade lithium carbonate; mineral products - lepidolite ore and lepidolite concentrate, etc.
Recent news and related layout:
Recently, JIULING LITHIUM pre-disclosed its prospectus and plans to list on the main board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. JIULING LITHIUM plans to raise about 760 million RMB, which will be used for reconstruction projects with an annual output of 5,000 tons of lithium hydroxide and 10,000 tons of high-purity lithium carbonate. It is reported that JIULING LITHIUM currently plans to build a production capacity of 140,000 tons of lithium carbonate and 5,000 tons of lithium hydroxide.
Among the Top 5 mica lithium extraction companies, JIULING LITHIUM owns the Huaqiao Dagang Porcelain Mine in Yifeng County, with a proven ore reserve of 91.91 million tons, equivalent to about 1 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent. In 2021, JIULING LITHIUM will produce 10,100 tons of lithium carbonate products. It accounts for 16.83% of the total output of lithium salt produced from China's lepidolite concentrate.
③ JIANGTE MOTOR
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Established date |
May 11, 1995 |
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Company location |
Jiangxi, China |
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Total market value |
45.9 billion RMB |
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Company website |
Company profile:
JIANGTE MOTOR, which ranks among the top 5 mica lithium extraction companies, is a company integrating R&D, production and sales of smart motor products and lithium products. Its business covers motors, lithium ore mining and deep processing and other industries.
Industry field:
Lithium ore: raw ore, tantalum lithium concentrate, lithium feldspar fine powder, lithium feldspar powder and lepidolite; silver lithium new energy: battery lithium carbonate, industrial lithium carbonate, high-purity lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, etc.
Related layout:
In April 2022, JIANGTE MOTOR announced that its subsidiary Jiangte Mining plans to invest in a new lithium ore mining and dressing project with an annual output of 3 million tons and an annual output of 20,000 tons of lithium salt in Tong'an and Industrial Park, Yifeng County, Jiangxi Province, with a total investment of about 2 billion RMB. The project will use lepidolite to prepare high-purity lithium carbonate and a new sulfate roasting process for by-products.
④ YONGXING MATERIALS
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Established date |
July 19, 2000 |
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Company location |
Zhejiang, China |
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Total market value |
61.956 billion RMB |
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Company website |
Company profile:
Different from other companies in the Top 5 mica lithium extraction companies, YONGXING MATERIALS has a wider industry distribution. It specializes in the research and development and production of high-quality stainless steel rods and wires, special alloy materials and lithium battery materials. The products are mainly used in high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy vehicles and energy storage and other fields.
Main products:
Lithium china stone, lepidolite concentrate and battery grade lithium carbonate.
Related layout:
The tunnel kiln extraction process of YONGXING MATERIALS is relatively advanced, which can effectively improve the conversion rate of lithium. It is reported that YONGXING MATERIALS' own mineral resources can support an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons of lithium carbonate. The company's first-phase lithium carbonate project with an annual output of 10,000 tons has reached production in July 2020, and the second-phase lithium carbonate project with an annual output of 20,000 tons is under construction In progress as planned.
⑤ NANSHI LITHIUM
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Established date |
January 5, 2017 |
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Company location |
Jiangxi, China |
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Register capital |
500 million RMB |
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Company website |
Company profile:
NANSHI LITHIUM focuses on the R&D, production and sales of rare and precious metal products such as lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and rubidium cesium potassium by comprehensive utilization of lepidolite resources, it stands out among the Top 5 mica lithium extraction companies.
NANSHI LITHIUM has the world's largest lepidolite production line with an annual output of 60,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate intelligent production line, pioneered lepidolite compound sulfate roasting, controllable metathesis, selective leaching, deep purification, one-step lithium extraction, etc. The key technology is to prepare a unique high-purity "snowflake single crystal" battery-grade lithium carbonate, which realizes large-scale, low-cost industrialized green and clean production.
Main products:
Industrial grade lithium carbonate, battery grade lithium carbonate, battery grade lithium hydroxide, rubidium and cesium.
Related layout:
At present, NANSHI LITHIUM has a capacity of 60,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate. It is widely known that battery-grade lithium carbonate is mainly used to prepare lithium ion battery cathode materials such as lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganate, ternary materials and lithium iron phosphate. In terms of lepidolite resources, NANSHI LITHIUM owns 49% of the equity of Jinzifeng Silicon Mine, which is located in Fengxin County, Yichun, Jiangxi Province, with resource reserves of 39,700 tons. In addition, NANSHI LITHIUM will meet its own lithium salt production by purchasing Yichun tantalum-niobium ore.
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