Lohum, a producer and processor of sustainable critical minerals, has expanded its lithium refining capabilities with a 1,000 mtpa battery-grade Lithium facility. The company claims its lithium refining capabilities currently have recovery rates of 90%+ (against the industry average of 60-70%) and purity of 99.8%+, slated to reach 99.99% shortly on the back of R&D breakthroughs.
Lohum currently refines more than 90% of all lithium in India, making it one of the largest lithium refiners in the world outside of China. It is also setting up production facilities for value-added products like cathode active materials that go directly into Lithium-ion battery gigafactories. “This will make Lohum the largest direct consumer of lithium in India by 2030, by when the world is expected to consume almost 1.5 million tons of lithium carbonate annually for 4,000 GWh of cell production, with more than half of this demand coming from outside China,” stated Lohum.
In Jan. 2025, China put restrictions on the export of Lithium refining technology, and also on technology & equipment for the latest generation of lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) battery technology, a Lithium-based product for which China has 95%+ of global capacity. Given these developments, India can take the lead in derisking this China-dominated global supply chain.
“China’s leadership in the field comes from the scale of operations of local refiners, massive domestic consumption, and focus on product purity. Lohum is rapidly closing the gap in all three,” stated Lohum. “ India alone is projected to cumulatively need 300,000 tons of lithium carbonate, and Lohum has already built up a global supply chain for spent Lithium-ion battery sourcing, and established MoUs with mine sources to ensure adequate supply to meet India’s growing lithium needs.”
Lohum stated its Lithium refining operations are also globally cost-competitive, with capex and opex in line with the best Chinese refiners, and as low as one-third to one-fifth of US or EU-based refiners.”
Lohum can today process over 25,000 tonnes of critical materials annually through its patented NEETM recycling and extraction technology. With a 90% share of integrated lithium ion battery recycling in India, the company has capabilities to produce battery-grade lithium, nickel, and cobalt, as well as rare earth elements and platinum group metals. Lohum also produces advanced materials made of these minerals including catalysts and cathode active materials.
Lohum has a total of eight facilities, seven in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh (including India’s largest lithium and cobalt refineries) and one in Gujarat. Further, it has two facilities in development across South India. It is also expanding globally with joint ventures in the US and Sharjah (with the UAE government as a partner), and plans further expansion in EU.
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