Africa and Its Role in the Battery Industry
Africa has the most remarkable mineral and raw material wealth among all continents. This continent is rich in rare earth metals, gold, diamonds, oil, and uranium. A unique way to revolutionize the economy of African countries is through the electrification of the automobile industry. This goal can be achieved by providing lithium, cobalt, and nickel to the battery supply chain and reducing the industry's dependence on China or its imports. It is well known that more than 60 percent of cobalt needed for battery cathode material is provided by the Democratic Republic of Congo. Otherwise, the role of Africa is not explained in lithium supply.
It is possible to find lithium deposits in two forms. One is brines containing lithium, and the other is hard-rock minerals such as spodumene and lepidolite. In previous articles, BattScout has explained different lithium minerals and extraction methods, in addition to new lithium recycling methods already used by companies like Tesla.
The only operating lithium mines in Africa are located in Zimbabwe. Recently, the Chinese electric car manufacturer, BYD, said it plans to buy six lithium hard-rock mines in this country. The mines have a lithium oxide grade of 2.5 percent, which is high enough to start large-scale production. Zimbabwe will be the site of a $ 2.83 billion metal park built by Chinese investors to produce battery raw materials such as lithium and nickel sulfate. This park would increase the added value of this country's exports. It is estimated that there are around 11 million tons of spodumene in the mining reserve. Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd. acquired ARCADIA's lithium mines in Zimbabwe in late 2021. The company invests $300 million annually to produce 400,000 tons of lithium concentrates. Piedmont Lithium in the US uses lithium from IronRidge Resources, which has been rebranded as Atlantic Lithium. Western Africa, Ghana, and Cote d'Ivoire are estimated to have 21.3 million tons of lithium minerals with a lithium oxide (Li2O) concentration of 1.3 percent. Mali is another country with an estimated 1.9 million tons of spodumene during its nine years of life until depletion. A lithium miner in Australia and a lithium supplier to Tesla, Gangfeng Lithium, are developing a 50:50 mining project in Mali.
African countries only export lithium minerals under their current policy. The mentioned countries can benefit from more job opportunities and a stronger position in the global supply chain by post-processing the raw minerals to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate.
