Lithium storage Belarus

Which countries have the largest lithium reserves?

While the USGS also provides data on the biggest “mine reserves” of the metal – in descending order: Chile, Australia, Argentina, China, US – the following list is of those countries in the world with the largest overall lithium reserves, regardless of their stage of development. 1. Bolivia – 21 million tonnes

What is the world's largest lithium mine?

The Greenbushes lithium mine in Western Australia – a joint venture between Albermarle and China’s Tianqi Lithium – is billed as the world’s largest project to extract the metal. In 2019, lithium exports from Australia are reported to have totalled almost $1.6bn, with most of the trade going to China.

What is the world's largest lithium deposit?

With estimates of 21 million tonnes, the country holds about one quarter of the entire global resource – including the world’s single-biggest lithium deposit, the Salar de Uyuni salt flat, which is visible from space. These reserves have remained largely undeveloped, however.

Where is lithium found in the US?

Lithium resources in the US can be found in continental brines, geothermal brines, hectorite, oilfield brines, and pegmatites.

Where does lithium come from?

Lithium extraction in the country comes largely from hard-rock mining of spodumene – an ore that contains high levels of lithium, as well as aluminium. The Greenbushes lithium mine in Western Australia – a joint venture between Albermarle and China’s Tianqi Lithium – is billed as the world’s largest project to extract the metal.

How is lithium extracted?

Lithium can be extracted in different ways, depending on the type of the deposit – generally either via solar evaporation of large brine pools, or from hard-rock extraction of the ore spodumene. Several innovative technologies are also being developed to establish new, more efficient ways of extracting the metal as its popularity continues to grow.