Lithium Related Media Articles, page-30900

I'll be frank most commentators have no idea and pluck numbers where they see fit without providing evidence. I remember one of the brokers using 0.7 and that was a blatant attept to show a supply gap a few years back.

Refer PostPost #:66330003This embedded post provides conversions, discusses theoretical efficiency and also gives some cost estimates around spodumene cost in batteries etc etc It also provides details of how many EVs you get for 1 tonne of 6% grade spodumene. If you are using a battery size of 100 kWh then probably need to double a lot of the estimates in that post as I was initially working of 50kWh batteries. But here is is how it works - Post #:66074769:

As I understand it the theoretical figure is based on the following (there is 5.3 tonnes LCE to 1 tonne lithium metal):

1. The atomic weight of lithium is 6.94 grams/mole -https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/lithium

2. You get one electron per lithium atom, and there are 96485 coulombs per mole of electrons (or what some may refer to as the Faraday unit of charge)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_constant

3. Further more you have 3 electrons and 3 ions in lithium so becomes 1:1 so probably makes conversions easier

http://resources.schoolscience.co.uk/stfc/14-16/partch3pg2.html

4. One ampere is one coulomb per second.

5. One Amp Hour (Ah) therefore equals 3600 coulomb (60*60)

6. Theoretical lithium content becomes 96485/3600 = 26.80 AH, then divide by 6.94 grams/mole and you get 1 gram lithium = 3.86 Ah (or 0.26 grams lithium i= 1 Amp)

7. If your battery has a voltage of 3.6V multiply this by 3.86 Ah and you get 14.282 Watt Hours. See voltage data for batteries here:https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/confusion_with_voltages

8. 1000 Watt Hours = 1 kWh so divide 1000/14.282 = 70 g of pure lithium per kWh. If voltage is say 3.2V * 3.86Ah = 12.352 and divide this by 1000 and you get 81 g pure lithium per kWh

9. Multiply point 8 outcomes by 5.3 (to get to lithium metal) and you get a theoretical 371 grams of LCE per kWh of battery capacity, or 0.371 LCE per 1 kWh.

Until they improve battery efficiencv/deterioration then theoretical efficiency is simply a construct. The embedded posts explain why we are not at theoretical efficiency.

The efficiency assumption is a key, so right now would probably be working on 0.85 - 0.9kg LCE per kWh. Again the embedded post above provides some calcs etc

This pic can help to - it was from Albermale a few years back.



I am sure over time they will improve recovery as per the embedded post but until lithium chemical converters use anything lower than 0.85 I wouldn't be taking anything as gospel from brokers/analysts.

All IMO