CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ LI-CYCLE™ – ADVANCED RECYCLING FOR LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES ’
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Menell . “ The majors , with the exception of Glencore and its strong cobalt position in the Congo , are exclusively looking at lithium . The problem with rare earth , tungsten , tin , vanadium … you can ’ t deploy a billion dollars so it ’ s never going to move the dial for the likes of Rio Tinto and Anglo . They have ignored these minor metals because they can ’ t achieve scale – even though they will become increasingly vital and much more lucrative .” He comments that development of the minor metals arena currently rests with poorly funded junior to mid-tier players who will struggle to develop the scale and supply the market demands .
“ The US and Japanese governments need to do more to support and finance these initiatives in order to create supply and counter Chinese dominance ,” advises Menell , who argues that the data and analysis , combined with the efforts of emerging players like TechMet , now exists to help educate government agencies and secure their support . The mining industry will benefit further from greater collaboration between the battery makers and the manufacturers
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