Lithium Rio Tinto
MELBOURNE: Rio Tinto Group is starting pilot production of lithium in California and will consider an expansion to become the top domestic supplier in the United States as the world’s biggest miners look to boost their exposure to the electric car battery revolution.
Work to reprocess waste piles from a 90-year-old mining site in Boron has successfully produced lithium carbonate – needed in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and consumer technology – and efforts are now focused on improving quality and lifting volumes, Rio said in an emailed statement yesterday.
Rio is the first top diversified miner to add lithium output to its portfolio and comes ahead of a looming decision on development of its mine project in Serbia that analysts estimate could account for about 5% of world demand.
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