Industry: Critical minerals

The global mining sector had a wild ride in 2022, plagued by supply-chain and labor shortages and geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upended markets, sending many commodities to record highs, only then to fall quickly. Several nations issued wide-ranging sanctions against Russia and further sanctions are still being debated as the conflict […]

The energy transition continued to move full steam ahead in 2022 with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022 kicking it into full gear. This monumental legislation supplemented the previous Infrastructure, Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed in 2021 and provided unprecedented funding to clean energy and climate initiatives. These incentives include […]

The surging prices and demand for lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) are a matter of concern for their end-use markets such as critical infrastructure, automotive electrification, renewables, and other smart devices. What makes LiBs a preferable choice is their longer life spans, faster charging, size customizability, low self-discharge rate, and extended run times. Exhibit 1 Surging LiBs […]

Direct extraction is a newer, more sustainable method of extracting lithium.

Faced with COVID-19 challenges, mining operators in the preceding year focused on resilience, investor confidence, ESG, and capital/operational discipline. These priorities, alongside complexities identified in 2021, remain pertinent for the industry in 2022.

In the December 2021 edition of the ADI newsletter, we examined key developments in energy infrastructure, resource flows, and transition-critical materials. We took a closer look at the future of pipeline infrastructure in the Permian Basin as oil prices rebound and capital spending gradually returned. In the Bakken, midstream constraints were driving persistent flaring issues, […]

Silver’s main domestic use in 2020 was electrical and electronics (28%), surpassing jewelry and silverware (26%). Its industrial applications, including pharmaceuticals and solar cells, are driven by its superior conductivity and resistance properties.

Lithium mining, particularly in Argentina and Chile’s salt flats, faces scrutiny due to its water-intensive nature and potential link to increased droughts, raising environmental sustainability concerns. 1 To mitigate “dirty” lithium mining, electric vehicle battery manufacturers need to explore “clean” alternative sourcing methods.  

Nickel is a critical mineral with ~70% of current demand being dominated by stainless steel followed by 25% for manufacture of alloys, special steels, and coatings, and 5% for electric batteries. While demand from stainless steel and alloys will likely remain robust in the medium-term, significant demand growth is expected to arise from nickel’s application […]

The projected surge in clean energy technologies (EVs, batteries, energy storage, and clean power) over the next decade will dramatically increase demand for critical minerals like copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese, graphite, and REEs, making their adequate supply crucial. The application and demand growth for these minerals will vary across technologies.

Manganese is mainly used in steel production, but its use in EV batteries, especially in cobalt-free designs like LMO (61% cathode) and NMC (20-30% cathode), presents a growth opportunity.

Lithium-ion batteries were the primary driver of cobalt demand in 2020 (57%), with cobalt comprising about one-fifth of a typical cathode due to its benefits in charge rates and corrosion resistance. Despite these advantages, battery manufacturers are seeking to decrease their reliance on cobalt.