Feature: Sumitomo Metal Mining to step up lithium nickel oxide production, battery research
October 13, 2020
Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Mining plans to increase its battery-grade lithium nickel oxide production to match an expected uptick in demand from electric vehicles, Power Materials reports.
According to a company release, Sumitomo will both increase its lithium nickel oxide production and step up its research efforts on next-gen batteries “...to meet the growing demand for automobile secondary batteries as the push toward electric automobiles grows.”
The company’s Isoura Plant will increase capacity from 4,550 tons/month to 4,850t/m beginning in mid-2022.
“While the scale of our production increase this time is limited by structural restrictions, we’re not limiting ourselves to simply expanding existing plants to meet the increasing demand for cathode materials for secondary batteries,” Sumitomo said. “We’re also looking at the construction of a new plant that incorporates ‘smart’ functionality, like remote operation and automation.”
Projected lithium supply curves have come under close examination over the past several months as the push for vehicle electrification intensifies. While lithium is a relatively abundant material in the Earth’s crust, the capacity for refining battery-grade lithium remains constrained.
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