Many people are talking about lithium iron phosphate batteries, especially auto industry stakeholders who are eager to get their hands on a higher-performing, lower-costing and safer battery. If the supply chain doesn’t get its act together soon, this may be problematic.
81% of the global supply of phosphate rock is produced by just six countries, with China and Morocco in the lead, but the real problem is further up the supply chain. Regardless of the source, an LFP battery can’t use phosphate rock straight from the mine. It has to be purified with only 3% of total phosphate production currently suitable for lithium ion battery applications, given its refinement needs.
Source: CleanTechnica: Read The Article
PSR Analysis: Gathering phosphates from wastewater sludge could be a solution, but as with most new tech, investment is needed. A side effect of this could be improved water quality. PSR
Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead for Power Systems Research
