Driven by the development of the new energy automobile industry, the prosperity of the battery-grade lithium hydroxide industry remains at a high level

Lithium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula LiOH. It appears as a white crystalline powder. It is soluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol, and insoluble in ether. Lithium hydroxide is an important basic lithium salt product with strong reactivity, strong corrosiveness, good oxidation resistance, and good high temperature stability. It is used in chemical industry, battery, metallurgy, automobile, aviation, national defense and military industry and other fields. More extensive. Among them, lithium hydroxide used in the battery field is collectively called battery-grade lithium hydroxide. According to different forms, battery-grade lithium hydroxide can be divided into two categories: battery-grade anhydrous lithium hydroxide and battery-grade monohydrate lithium hydroxide.

Battery-grade lithium hydroxide is an important raw material in the field of power batteries. It is mainly used in the production of nickel cathode materials in ternary materials for power batteries, especially in the production of high-nickel ternary cathode materials in high-performance power batteries. Battery-grade lithium hydroxide plays an indispensable role. At present, common types of nickel cathode materials include NCM111, NCM523, NCM622, NCM811, NCA, etc. Domestic companies mainly produce NCM811, and Japanese and Korean companies mainly produce NCA.

Currently, driven by the vigorous development of the domestic new energy vehicle industry, the rapid development of the power battery market has led to the increasing production of high-nickel ternary materials. As an important raw material for high-nickel ternary materials, battery-grade lithium hydroxide has seen its demand continue to increase, and the market Ushering in a period of explosive demand. In 2021, my country’s output of high-nickel ternary cathode materials has exceeded 160,000 tons. Against this background, according to the“China Battery Level 2023-2027” released by the Industrial Research Center Lithium Hydroxide Industry Market Monitoring and Future Development Prospects Research Report shows that domestic demand for battery-grade lithium hydroxide has exceeded 80,000 tons in 2021.

From the perspective of production technology, lithium hydroxide production routes are mainly divided into two categories. One is to extract lithium from ore, and then produce lithium hydroxide through acidification method, one-step method and other links; the other is to extract lithium from salt lakes, and then produce lithium hydroxide. Lithium hydroxide is produced through causticization. Among them, the production cost of lithium extraction from salt lakes is low, and the current domestic technology level is low, so this method is mainly used to prepare industrial-grade lithium hydroxide; the output of lithium extraction from ore is of high quality, and it is the main process route for producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide.

From the perspective of the market structure, driven by the continued growth in demand, the number of domestic battery-grade lithium hydroxide companies continues to increase. Currently, local companies in the market mainly include Shengxin Lithium Energy, Tianhua Super Clean, Yahua Group, etc. Comprehensive lithium product processors; professional battery-grade lithium hydroxide manufacturers represented by China Mining Resources, Ronghui Lithium Industry, etc.; new entrants to the battery-grade lithium hydroxide market represented by Rongjie Co., Ltd., Jiangte Motor, etc. By.

Industry analysts said that comprehensive battery-grade lithium hydroxide manufacturers rely on their advantages of mature technology, complete industrial chain, and large output. It occupies a dominant position in the domestic battery-grade lithium hydroxide market; while professional manufacturers mainly rely on strong technical strength and the ability to provide high-quality and stable-quality products to increase customer stickiness and expand market share. Such enterprises compete in the high-end market. Occupying a dominant position; newly added manufacturers have less production capacity and occupy a smaller market share.