In short

• Lithium is a naturally occurring element and the lightest metal.  
• Lithium is found in different types of resources around the world. The 2 main commercial sources are hard-rock minerals and lithium-rich brines. 
• There is more than one way to produce lithium. The method used depends on the nature of the resource, its geological characteristics and the technology best suited to extracting and processing it. 
• Lithium can be processed to make different products for different applications. Its properties make it useful in a range of products, from batteries to agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, polymers, metal alloys, ceramics, lubricating greases, semiconductors and more.  
• Demand for lithium is growing around the world, particularly as rechargeable batteries become more widely used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems that support electrification. 
• Rio Tinto is developing and advancing lithium mining projects in Argentina, Canada and Chile to support electrification and the ramp-up of battery energy storage systems. 

What is lithium and why is it important?

Lithium is a naturally occurring element and the lightest metal. In its pure form, lithium is a soft, silvery-grey metal. It's highly reactive, chemically-bound to other elements in minerals and salts. 

Its unique chemical properties make it irreplaceable in a wide range of applications, including everything from rechargeable batteries to glass, ceramics and other industrial products like lubricating greases.  

Lithium is also lightweight and energy-dense. It can store large amounts of energy relative to its weight, making it an important material in rechargeable batteries where storing a lot of energy without adding too much weight matters. 

The lithium used in everyday applications like rechargeable batteries doesn't come out of the ground ready to use. Instead, it needs to be extracted, processed and in some cases, concentrated, into the lithium product required for its end use. And although lithium is plentiful in the ground, significant investments in new mines and refineries are required for supply to meet demand in the future. 

What is lithium used for?

Lithium, in a variety of forms, can be used in a wide range of applications:

How is lithium produced? 

There isn't just one way to produce lithium.  

How it’s extracted and processed depends on the type of resource, the geology and the lithium product being made. Two of the main production routes start with hard-rock minerals and lithium-rich brines. 

From hard rock

Hard-rock lithium production starts with mining rock containing lithium-bearing minerals like spodumene. The ore is crushed and processed to separate and concentrate the mineral, which then goes through further processing to produce lithium products like lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide. 

As with other forms of mining and mineral processing, hard-rock lithium production can involve land disturbance, waste, energy use and emissions. Managing these impacts involves understanding the local environment, consulting with communities and how they may be affected, and working together to identify ways to reduce those impacts.

From brine

Lithium can also be found dissolved in brine, a naturally occurring, extremely salty water rich in minerals.  

Wells are used to bring lithium-bearing brine to the surface where the lithium is separated and processed. Two approaches used to produce lithium from brine are:  

• Traditional brine production uses ponds and natural evaporation to remove water and concentrate the lithium in the brine. This approach is used at our Olaroz operations in Argentina.
• Direct lithium extraction (DLE) uses technologies designed to selectively separate lithium from the brine. We use DLE at Fénix and Rincón.

Producing lithium from brine requires careful management of water and brine, including understanding how extraction could affect local water and brine resources.

From lithium resources to lithium products

Whichever production route is used, extraction is only part of the process. The lithium must then be processed and purified to meet the specifications required for its end use. 

Our processing and research and development facilities span 4 continents. That breadth and integration allow us to produce different lithium products as battery technologies and customer needs evolve.