First lithium refinery in Europe to open in UK

The first commercial lithium refinery in Europe is being setup in Northern England by Green Lithium. The project has just received backing from Trafigura, one of the largest metal trading institutions in the world. Trafigura will supply the new refinery with raw lithium and aims to sell the finished product to battery manufacturers in Europe. Expected capacity of the new factory is 50,000 tonnes a year.

Majority of lithium comes from Australia where it is mined from rocks and from South America, where Chile, Bolivia and Argentina are the main producers of raw lithium from salt lakes. The raw lithium is sent to China where it is being refined and becomes a material ready to be used in battery production but the process is very inefficient and mostly powered by fossil fuels which defies the whole idea of green revolution. The current lithium processing methods used in China produce high levels of carbon emissions that are hard to offset by the lithium produced and many environmental organizations have been calling for change.

Emissions are just one part of the problem, the other part is the security of supplies. Lithium has quickly become an essential material and with governments around the world planning for carbon neutrality, its supply is becoming a national security concern. So politicians are looking for ways to ensure steady flow and meet the growing demand.

The new lithium refinery in the UK will do just that - it will provide security of supply and it will reduce carbon emissions at the same time. Green Lithium is going to use low-carbon technology in processing of raw lithium, it will be able to fulfill current demand from European automakers and will create 1,000 new jobs as an added bonus.

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