Tag: Battery

In a recent webinar, Chris Lawson, CRU’s Head of Fertilizers, gave the CRU view on what 2024 holds in store for the global fertilizer industry. Here are CRU’s top 10 calls for the year ahead:

The nickel market has been through a period of unprecedented change over the past few years due to demand for batteries for electric vehicles, with Indonesia becoming a centre for production via high pressure acid leaching.

Servicing the growth in electric vehicles powered by lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries could require the global purified phosphoric acid industry to double in size. Senior CRU consultant Wahome Muya explores the opportunities for unlocking growth in this emerging and fast-moving market.

Lithium ion battery production is driving major expansions in nickel and cobalt extraction, but lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery use is growing rapidly.

BHP is committed to investing $5.7 billion to complete the first stage of the Jansen project and bring it into operation by the end of 2026. This under-construction Saskatchewan mine will then ramp up to produce more than four million tonnes of potash annually before the end of the decade.

Metso Outotec’s annual general meeting (AGM) in early May approved the board of directors’ proposal to change the company name to Metso Corporation. “After the successful integration of Metso and Outotec, we will focus on growing a strong unified Metso company and brand,” says President and CEO of Metso, Pekka Vauramo. “We have combined two valuable companies into one strong Metso. Our focus is clear: we continue enabling sustainable modern life and transforming the industry with a clear strategy and strong culture, supported by a name that is short yet established and well recognized among all our stakeholders. Services are an extremely important part of our business, requiring a strong name.”

Incorporating sulphur into polymers is known to improve their properties. New research is looking into the varied world of sulphur co-polymers, unlocking new materials for batteries, structural applications and clean technology.

Potash production improvements are being made in areas such as ore extraction, cooling and froth flotation. We review technological developments from Sandvik, Eriez, Nouryon and Solex Thermal Science.

Lithium sulphur batteries have many advantages over conventional lithium ion batteries in terms of energy density, and they also avoid the use of costly cobalt, but they deteriorate rapidly and cannot be recharged as frequently. However, recent advances in Li-S batteries could overcome this problem and lead to widespread adoption.

Industrial end-markets and food manufacturing provide significant global demand for pure and high value phosphate products. The growth potential for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) used in vehicle batteries is also a major industry talking point currently, as Alberto Persona, Fertecon’s principal phosphates analyst, explains.