Battery grade lithium carbonate-fundamentals and applications

In today’s technology world, batteries have become an essential part of our daily lives, from mobile phones and laptops to electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems. In these batteries, a special chemical, lithium carbonate, plays a crucial role. This article will give you a detailed introduction to the basic knowledge of battery grade lithium carbonate.

1. Basic properties of lithium carbonate

Lithium carbonate is a colorless crystal or white particle with the formula Li2CO3 and a molecular weight of 73.89. It is a weakly alkaline substance with good stability to heat and light, but it is easy to decompose in an acidic environment. Lithium carbonate has a low solubility in water, but a high solubility in organic solvents.

2. Preparation of battery grade lithium carbonate

There are two main methods to prepare battery grade lithium carbonate: limestone method and sulfuric acid method. The limestone process is to decompose limestone at high temperatures and then obtain lithium carbonate by electrolysis. The sulfuric acid process is the reaction of lithium sulfate and sodium carbonate to produce lithium carbonate and sodium sulfate, and then the sodium sulfate is separated to obtain lithium carbonate.

Third, the application of battery grade lithium carbonate

Battery grade lithium carbonate is mainly used to manufacture lithium cobaltate, lithium manganate, ternary materials and lithium iron phosphate and other lithium ion battery cathode materials. Lithium-ion batteries are currently one of the most advanced and best-performing rechargeable batteries, widely used in mobile devices, power tools, electric vehicles and other fields. With the continuous development of The Times, and the increasing tension of the energy situation, the use of batteries is increasing, and the market demand for lithium carbonate, the main raw material in the battery industry, is also increasing.

4. Challenges and prospects of battery grade lithium carbonate

Although battery-grade lithium carbonate plays an important role in battery manufacturing, its production process produces a large amount of carbon dioxide, which has an impact on the environment. Therefore, how to achieve green and environmentally friendly lithium carbonate production is an important challenge we are currently facing.

Recently, the Customs Tariff Commission of The State Council announced the tariff adjustment plan for 2024. Among them, from January 1, 2024, the provisional import duty rate for lithium carbonate will be reduced from the current 2% to 0. Lithium carbonate is an important raw material for the new energy industry, and its import cost has a very important impact on the overall trend of the industry. The lithium carbonate tax reduction will effectively reduce the import cost of enterprises, enhance the competitiveness of enterprises in the international market, and boost the high-quality development of the lithium battery industry.

In general, battery grade lithium carbonate is a key element of modern battery technology, and its future development trend will be green, efficient and stable. With the adjustment of industrial structure, the supply and demand relationship of lithium carbonate will be further reconstructed in the future, and then a new balance will be established. At the same time, the energy storage market is still in its infancy, and the driving effect on the lithium battery market cannot be underestimated.