1. | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
1.1. | Report summary |
1.2. | What are the components in a lithium-ion cell? |
1.3. | Key trends impacting critical material demand (1) |
1.4. | Key trends impacting critical material demand (2) |
1.5. | Key trends impacting critical material demand (3) |
1.6. | Global critical material demand (kt) from LIBs forecast (2025-2035) |
1.7. | Global critical battery material demand outlook (2025-2035) |
1.8. | Battery materials covered in the report |
1.9. | Critical battery materials supply vs demand outlook (2025-2035) |
1.10. | Mining projects developments |
1.11. | Business models for mining companies |
1.12. | Vertically integrated "mine-to-market" operations on the rise |
1.13. | Global lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper production forecasts (2025-2035) |
1.14. | Carbon intensities of different raw materials |
1.15. | Regional policies on critical battery materials |
1.16. | Key conclusions and outlooks for the global lithium market |
1.17. | Lithium production forecast by country (2025-2035) |
1.18. | Incumbent and emerging methods for lithium mining & extraction |
1.19. | Lithium refining routes to battery-grade lithium chemicals |
1.20. | Key conclusions and outlooks for the global nickel market |
1.21. | Nickel mine production forecast by country (2025-2035) |
1.22. | Nickel product types |
1.23. | Intermediate nickel products |
1.24. | A summary of nickel ore processing routes |
1.25. | Summary of nickel processing technologies |
1.26. | The interplay between cobalt, copper, and nickel markets |
1.27. | Company landscape in nickel, copper and cobalt production |
1.28. | The growing influence of nickel on cobalt mining (2025-2035) |
1.29. | Cobalt mine production forecast by country (2025-2035) |
1.30. | Copper mine production forecast by country (2025-2035) |
1.31. | Synthetic vs natural graphite for lithium-ion battery anodes |
1.32. | Value-creation from natural graphite processing for battery anodes |
1.33. | Purification methods of natural graphite |
1.34. | New natural graphite capacity |
1.35. | Key conclusions and outlooks for deep-sea mining |
1.36. | Legal regime for mineral rights at sea |
1.37. | Types of seabed resources and their characteristics |
1.38. | Countries supporting and opposing deep-sea mining |
1.39. | Player landscape in deep-sea mining |
1.40. | Access More With an IDTechEx Subscription |
2. | INTRODUCTION TO LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES AND MATERIALS FOR BATTERIES |
2.1. | The key markets for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and their applications |
2.2. | Cathode chemistry for different applications |
2.3. | Li-ion battery cathode outlook |
2.4. | Li-ion battery demand is driven by the EV sector |
2.5. | What are the components in a lithium-ion cell? |
2.6. | Cell materials account for the majority of Li-ion battery costs |
2.7. | Cathode - the biggest cost driver in Li-ion cell materials |
2.8. | Cathode material intensities |
2.9. | Li-ion material intensities |
2.10. | Cell material content |
2.11. | Battery materials covered in the report |
2.12. | Critical material production from primary and secondary sources |
2.13. | Related content on critical materials and lithium-ion batteries |
3. | INTRODUCTION TO MINING PROJECTS AND BUSINESS MODELS |
3.1. | Life cycle of a mining project |
3.2. | Mining projects developments |
3.3. | Operational uncertainties of mines |
3.4. | Business models for mining companies |
3.5. | Vertically integrated "mine-to-market" operations on the rise (1) |
3.6. | Vertically integrated "mine-to-market" operations on the rise (2) |
4. | LITHIUM MINING AND EXTRACTION |
4.1. | Where is lithium used? |
4.2. | Differences between lithium carbonate and hydroxide |
4.3. | Historic lithium prices (2019-2024 1H) |
4.4. | Where can lithium be found in nature? |
4.5. | Types of lithium brine deposits |
4.6. | Introduction to hard rock and sediment-hosted lithium resources |
4.7. | Lithium resource split by country |
4.8. | Extraction processes for different lithium deposits |
4.9. | Lithium recovery from continental brine via evaporation pond |
4.10. | Commercial brine evaporation projects |
4.11. | Introduction to direct lithium extraction (DLE) |
4.12. | The need for DLE to access a wider range of brine resources |
4.13. | Classes of DLE technologies |
4.14. | Active DLE operations - Salar del Hombre Muerto |
4.15. | Brine evaporation vs brine DLE |
4.16. | Lithium recovery from hard rock lithium resources (1) - spodumene upgrading |
4.17. | Lithium recovery from hard rock lithium resources (2) - spodumene refining |
4.18. | Lithium recovery from hard rock lithium resources (3) - logistics |
4.19. | Commercial hard rock (spodumene) projects |
4.20. | Lithium recovery from sediment-hosted deposits |
4.21. | Proposed lithium project timeline |
4.22. | Players in sedimentary lithium processing |
4.23. | Battery-grade lithium chemicals |
4.24. | Sustainability profiles of lithium carbonate vs lithium hydroxide |
4.25. | Lithium refining routes to battery-grade lithium chemicals |
4.26. | Strategies to decarbonize lithium refining |
4.27. | Cost comparisons between lithium projects |
4.28. | Lithium value chain for batteries |
4.29. | Chapter summary |
5. | NICKEL MINING AND PROCESSING |
5.1. | Nickel properties and applications |
5.2. | Nickel product types |
5.3. | Intermediate nickel products |
5.4. | LME Nickel prices (2021-2024) |
5.5. | Nickel production and resource |
5.6. | Where is nickel naturally found ? |
5.7. | Cobalt in nickel deposits |
5.8. | Nickel-bearing minerals |
5.9. | Nickel mining by country |
5.10. | Indonesia's nickel industry development |
5.11. | Typical mining methods for nickel ores |
5.12. | Classes of nickel processing techniques |
5.13. | Incumbent nickel-bearing ore processing techniques |
5.14. | Extraction of nickel from sulfide ores (pyrometallurgical) |
5.15. | Extraction of nickel from sulfide ores (hydrometallurgical) |
5.16. | Extraction of nickel from laterite ores |
5.17. | An overview of nickel laterite processing routes |
5.18. | The rotary kiln-electric furnace (RKEF) process |
5.19. | NPI to nickel matte conversion |
5.20. | Ammonia-ammonium carbonate leaching (the Caron process) |
5.21. | High pressure acid leach (HPAL) (1) |
5.22. | High pressure acid leach (HPAL) (2) |
5.23. | Evolution of HPAL Technology |
5.24. | HPAL is a key driver for cobalt and nickel production from nickel laterites in Indonesia |
5.25. | Atmospheric acid leaching |
5.26. | Enhanced pressure acid leach (EPAL) |
5.27. | Heap leaching |
5.28. | Separating cobalt and nickel from hydrometallurgical processing of nickel laterite |
5.29. | Intermediate nickel products: MHP and MSP (1) |
5.30. | Intermediate nickel products: MHP and MSP (2) |
5.31. | Direct solvent extraction (DSX) |
5.32. | MHP refining processes |
5.33. | Pros and cons of typical nickel sulfide processing methods |
5.34. | Pros and cons of typical nickel laterite processing methods |
5.35. | Sustainability profiles for nickel mining and processing |
5.36. | Summary of nickel processing technologies |
5.37. | A summary of nickel ore processing routes |
5.38. | Case study: PT Merdeka Battery Materials Tbk (MBMA) |
5.39. | Case study: A summary of MBMA's processing facilities |
5.40. | Case study: The Kalgoorlie Nickel Project (1) |
5.41. | Case study: The Kalgoorlie Nickel Project (2) |
5.42. | Case study: Talon Metals Corp (1) |
5.43. | Case study: Talon Metals Corp (2) |
5.44. | Case study: Lifezone Metals |
5.45. | Case study: Canada Nickel Company (1) |
5.46. | Case study: Canada Nickel Company (2) |
5.47. | Case study: Canada Nickel Company (3) |
5.48. | Cost comparisons between nickel projects (1) |
5.49. | Cost comparisons between nickel projects (2) |
5.50. | New nickel capacity from Canada and Australia |
5.51. | Chapter summary |
6. | COPPER MINING AND PROCESSING |
6.1. | Copper properties and applications |
6.2. | Where is copper naturally found? |
6.3. | Copper-bearing minerals |
6.4. | Types of copper deposits |
6.5. | Other metals occurring with copper |
6.6. | Copper resource and production |
6.7. | Copper mining by country (2018-2023) |
6.8. | LME Copper prices (2021-2024) |
6.9. | Typical mining methods for copper ores |
6.10. | Classes of copper processing techniques |
6.11. | Copper ore processing routes |
6.12. | Pyrometallurgical processing of copper sulfides - an overview |
6.13. | Beneficiation of copper sulfides |
6.14. | Pyrometallurgical processing of copper sulfides |
6.15. | Direct-to-copper smelting to produce blister copper |
6.16. | Hydrometallurgical processing of copper ores - an overview |
6.17. | Summary of leaching methods for copper mining and processing |
6.18. | Hydrometallurgical processing of copper ores |
6.19. | Solvent extraction and electrowinning of copper |
6.20. | Energy and emission intensity from primary copper production |
6.21. | Cost on copper mining operations |
6.22. | New copper capacity |
6.23. | Chapter summary |
7. | COBALT MINING AND PROCESSING |
7.1. | Cobalt properties and applications |
7.2. | Where can cobalt be found naturally? |
7.3. | Cobalt-bearing minerals |
7.4. | Cobalt resources |
7.5. | Cobalt mining by country |
7.6. | Large-scale mining (LSM) vs artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) |
7.7. | Key developments in the ASM cobalt sector |
7.8. | Cobalt extraction and processing |
7.9. | Processing cobalt from sediment-hosted stratiform Cu-Co ores |
7.10. | Processing cobalt from Ni-Co laterite ores |
7.11. | Processing cobalt from magmatic Ni-Cu-Co sulfide ores |
7.12. | Sustainability profiles of cobalt extraction and cobalt products |
7.13. | Cost to cobalt production |
7.14. | Historic cobalt prices (2021-2024) |
7.15. | The interplay between cobalt, copper, and nickel markets |
7.16. | Case study: Cobalt Blue Holdings (1) |
7.17. | Case study: Cobalt Blue Holdings (2) |
7.18. | New cobalt production capacity from Australia and Indonesia |
7.19. | Chapter summary |
8. | NATURAL GRAPHITE MINING AND PROCESSING |
8.1. | Graphite properties and applications |
8.2. | Graphite demand by application |
8.3. | Synthetic vs natural graphite |
8.4. | Synthetic vs natural graphite for lithium-ion battery anodes |
8.5. | Production processes for graphite-based materials for lithium-ion battery |
8.6. | Natural graphite reserves and production by country |
8.7. | Types of natural graphite: Flake, vein, amorphous |
8.8. | Classification of natural graphite as a function of size |
8.9. | The need to process natural graphite for anode applications (1) |
8.10. | The need to process natural graphite for anode applications (2) |
8.11. | Purification methods of natural graphite (1) |
8.12. | Purification methods of natural graphite (2) |
8.13. | Environmental impacts of graphite purification |
8.14. | The economics (CAPEX and OPEX) of natural graphite purification in China |
8.15. | Natural flake graphite pricing |
8.16. | Natural graphite project states of development |
8.17. | New natural graphite capacity by project status |
8.18. | New natural graphite capacity by country |
8.19. | Announced offtake agreements on natural graphite supply |
8.20. | A mine-to-market approach to graphite production |
8.21. | Value-added facilities (natural graphite processing) on the rise |
8.22. | Sustainability profiles for graphite anode production |
8.23. | Cost comparisons between natural graphite projects |
8.24. | The economics of natural graphite anode facilities |
8.25. | Chapter summary |
9. | INTRODUCTION TO DEEP-SEA MINING |
9.1. | Introduction to deep-sea mining |
9.2. | Arguments for and against deep-sea mining |
9.3. | Types of seabed resources and their characteristics |
9.4. | Global distribution of major seabed resources |
9.5. | Legislations in sea |
9.6. | Legal regime for mineral rights at sea |
9.7. | Mineral exploration and exploitation within national jurisdictions: Papua New Guinea |
9.8. | Mineral exploration and exploitation within national jurisdictions: Cook Islands |
9.9. | Mineral exploration and exploitation within national jurisdictions: Norway |
9.10. | Mineral exploration beyond national jurisdictions: The International Seabed Authority (ISA) |
9.11. | Regional environmental management plans (REMPs) |
9.12. | Countries sponsoring ISA exploration contracts in the Area |
9.13. | Countries supporting and opposing deep-sea mining |
9.14. | Organizations opposing deep-sea mining |
9.15. | Equipment used in deep-sea mining exploration and extraction (1) |
9.16. | Equipment used in deep-sea mining exploration and extraction (2) |
9.17. | The economic viability of deep-sea mining is not proven |
9.18. | The processing of minerals sourced from sea-floor deposits |
9.19. | The processing of polymetallic nodules (1) |
9.20. | The processing of polymetallic nodules (2) |
9.21. | The processing of polymetallic sulfides and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts |
9.22. | The opportunities and challenges in marine mineral processing |
9.23. | Environmental unknowns in deep-sea mining and emissions challenges in mineral processing |
9.24. | Player landscape in deep-sea mining |
9.25. | Deep-sea mining players overview (1) |
9.26. | Deep-sea mining players overview (2) |
9.27. | Chapter summary |
10. | POLICIES RELATED TO CRITICAL MINERALS AND BATTERY MATERIALS |
10.1. | Regulations in China |
10.2. | Regulations and incentives in Australia |
10.3. | Australia's Critical Minerals International Partnerships program |
10.4. | Australian National Battery Strategy |
10.5. | Regulations in Chile |
10.6. | Indonesia's nickel industry development |
10.7. | The impact of RKAB approvals on Indonesia's nickel mining & processing industry |
10.8. | Indonesia's strategy to align nickel production with EV supply chain growth |
10.9. | Regulations and incentives in the USA |
10.10. | Regulations and incentives in Europe |
10.11. | Minerals Security Partnership |
10.12. | Minerals Security Partnership project examples |
11. | PLAYER LANDSCAPES |
11.1. | Player landscape in lithium mining, extraction and production |
11.2. | Player landscape in nickel mining and production |
11.3. | Company landscape in nickel, copper and cobalt production |
11.4. | Player landscape in deep-sea mining |
11.5. | Offtake agreements on critical battery materials (1) |
11.6. | Offtake agreements on critical battery materials (2) |
12. | MATERIALS DEMAND AND SUPPLY FORECASTS |
12.1. | Forecast methodology and assumptions |
12.1.1. | Forecast methodology on battery materials demand |
12.1.2. | Li-ion battery cell material intensities |
12.1.3. | Materials price assumptions |
12.1.4. | Forecast methodology on lithium production |
12.1.5. | Assumptions for lithium production forecast |
12.1.6. | Forecast methodology on nickel, copper and cobalt production |
12.1.7. | Assumptions for nickel, copper and cobalt production forecasts |
12.2. | Critical battery materials demand outlooks and forecasts |
12.2.1. | Global critical material demand (kt) from LIBs forecast (2025-2035) |
12.2.2. | Global critical battery material demand outlook (2025-2035) |
12.2.3. | Key trends impacting critical material demand (1) |
12.2.4. | Key trends impacting critical material demand (2) |
12.2.5. | Key trends impacting critical material demand (3) |
12.2.6. | Critical battery materials demand forecast by region (2025-2035) (1) |
12.2.7. | Critical battery materials demand forecast by region (2025-2035) (2) |
12.2.8. | Critical battery material value forecast (2025-2035) |
12.2.9. | Critical battery materials demand forecast by market application (1) |
12.2.10. | Critical battery materials demand forecast by market application (2) |
12.2.11. | Critical battery materials demand forecast by market application (3) |
12.3. | Supply outlooks and forecasts |
12.3.1. | Lithium |
12.3.2. | Overview of global lithium production in 2024 |
12.3.3. | Lithium production forecast by resource source type (2025-2035) |
12.3.4. | Li production contribution by resource type (2023-2035) |
12.3.5. | Lithium production forecast by country (2025-2035) |
12.3.6. | Projected new lithium capacity each year (2025-2035) |
12.3.7. | Cobalt |
12.3.8. | Global cobalt production in 2023 vs 2024 |
12.3.9. | Cobalt mine production forecast (2025-2035) |
12.3.10. | Cobalt mine production forecast by country (2025-2035) (1) |
12.3.11. | Cobalt mine production forecast by country (2025-2035) (2) |
12.3.12. | The growing influence of nickel on cobalt mining (2025-2035) |
12.3.13. | Nickel |
12.3.14. | Global nickel production in 2023 vs 2024 |
12.3.15. | Nickel mine production forecast (2025-2035) |
12.3.16. | Nickel mine production forecast by country (2025-2035) (1) |
12.3.17. | Nickel mine production forecast by country (2025-2035) (2) |
12.3.18. | Copper |
12.3.19. | Global copper production in 2023 vs 2024 |
12.3.20. | Copper mine production forecast (2025-2035) |
12.3.21. | Copper mine production forecast by country (2025-2035) (1) |
12.3.22. | Copper mine production forecast by country (2025-2035) (2) |