Is the solid-state battery set to supersede its lithium-ion cousin?

Solid-state batteries with metallic lithium will almost completely replace the lithium-ion batteries that are currently used in electric vehicles due to their greater autonomy and safety, and shorter charging time and climate impact, according to a report from UK battery researchers the Faraday Institution.

There are already several companies that are analyzing the feasibility of producing lithium metal, such as Chile’s SQM, which entrusted the Argentine start-up based in the province of Santa Fe, Clorar Ingeniería, to evaluate the option thanks to its experience with this material and electrochemical processes.

BNamericas spoke with Bruno Spadillero, director of Clorar Ingeniería, to learn more about this project and how batteries that use solid electrolytes can displace lithium ions with liquid electrolytes in the international market.

BNamericas: What does the project with SQM consist of?

Spadillero: We’ve been here for years working in lithium metal, which is a very light silver metal. We even have a state subsidy in Argentina to carry out the first tests of metallic lithium with support from the ministry of science and technology. When SQM looked for companies to get involved in the production of metallic lithium, we offered them a study, engineering documentation, proposals for facilities, investment, equipment and even metallic lithium made with lithium carbonate or lithium chloride that is produced in its own plant. We have found a company [SQM] that is making many investments and that has very qualified people in R&D. Therefore, we see a lot of potential in this project.

BNamericas: Why is there so much interest in metallic lithium?

Spadillero: The possibility of growth. Lithium-ion batteries don’t contain metallic lithium and the only ones that do are button cells or non-rechargeable batteries. But there is a lot of interest in making solid-state batteries with lithium metal mainly due to its high electrical energy capacity per mass. Furthermore, semi-solid electrolytes are safer than the liquid electrolyte inside the battery, although this is projected since there is no industrial demand for this battery yet. Some companies are preparing for that scenario. The solid-state battery is the next generation of the lithium-ion battery and that will require a lot of lithium as a metal. This may mean a decline in the use of other forms of lithium such as carbonate and hydroxide.

BNamericas: How much lithium metal is produced globally today?

Spadillero: Metallic lithium has limited use in the world. Around 5,000t/y are manufactured, with around 85% concentrated in China. Along with the United States and Russia, they are the only three countries that manufacture metallic lithium. It is used in aluminum alloys, in the nuclear industry, in the military industry and in the production of catalysts for the petrochemical sector.

BNamericas: What are the projections for the lithium metal battery market?

Spadillero: The current market produces about 5,000t/y in this type of batteries and by 2030 it is expected to increase to between 150,000t/y and 180,000t/y. 

BNamericas: Does Latin America have the capacity to produce metallic lithium?

Spadillero: At [Chilean mining fair] Expomin I heard a producer say that the countries of the lithium triangle in South America should only produce lithium carbonate and another associated salt, because there was no technological development to make products such as metallic liquid. But I think that Chile, Argentina and Bolivia have enough knowledge to manufacture it. Chile carries out the electrolysis process and has the know-how of copper production, since it is produced in the same way through the phenomenon of electrowinning.

This same electrolysis phenomenon is used in the production of aluminum in Argentina and Bolivia is a producer of metallic tin, lead and other metals. At Clorar, we’re showing that it can be produced industrially. Obviously, investment and access to electrical energy in great quantity and quality are needed. Both in Jujuy, Salta and in the Atacama salt flat, there are solar parks and electricity generation. And potassium chloride, which is a crucial input, is produced by SQM. That is, we have the three necessary resources: electrical energy, lithium and potassium chloride.

BNamericas: What other lithium battery substitutes are being developed?

Spadillero: Alternatives will continue to appear, and they will coexist, because no alternative will be so quick to be implemented. Many years of study and development are required. Furthermore, manufacturers in the automotive industry opt for long-life products, therefore they will wait until new technologies are mature enough. The replacements will be progressive.

Lithium is much lighter and has a much lower density than water. Its chemical condition is exceptional and it’s not so easy to replace with another metal. The lithium battery, along with being lightweight, has a high energy density. If the sodium battery is developed, they will coexist due to the diversity of applications in electromobility and energy storage from wind, solar or other generation. Some sodium batteries contain metallic sodium. Therefore, whoever masters the technology to produce metallic lithium can also make metallic sodium.

BNamericas: How is Argentina progressing with pilot plants to manufacture cathode material for lithium batteries?

Spadillero: One initiative is that of YPF Tecnología and other actors who are setting up a cell assembly plant, where the LFP [lithium ferrophosphate] cathode material is one of the strategic inputs. It will probably soon be up and running, since they have a proven and patented technological formula that they want to bring to industrial production on a scale sufficient to supply the plant. Initially, the materials will be imported.

We are in a battery material plant project with [technology research entities] YTEC and CONICET, developing electrolyte, which is a lithium salt called lithium hexafluorophosphate and acts as a solvent in the battery. This project is on a technology-development scale and we hope to start manufacturing it in a couple of years.

The progress that has been made in the country is interesting, but we have to be realistic. A small-scale project will be installed to supply low internal demand with the aim of demonstrating Argentina's technological capacity. It will not be a competitive gigafactory like the ones in Asia or the United States. It’s not even intended to go on commercial sale but will only be for internal use.

BNamericas: What other mining projects have you carried out?

Spadillero: We have developed chemical processes and worked on the electrowinning of gold and silver. In lithium we worked on the conceptual engineering of a method of direct lithium extraction [DLE] that was patented in Argentina by the scientific and technological sector, who requested our opinion to know if it was feasible to take it to a scale larger than that of the laboratory. Finally, it was set aside, as it was not favorable.

BNamericas: What are the advantages of DLE?

Spadillero: It allows you to shorten times and make better use of water. But achieving it isn’t that easy. The current method is very robust, since the conditions where lithium operations are located are ideal for solar evaporation. But there are several companies working on developing DLE, some financed by Chilean producers.

BNamericas: Are lithium producers in Argentina preparing to implement DLE?

Spadillero: At this moment the three producers have evaporation ponds. A company that is going into production will implement DLE in the process, but I don't know if it will be complemented by evaporation. There are many DLE technologies being tested, but they must be industrially robust enough to maintain production conditions and achieve a product of sustained quality. This is essential because the conditions of the salt flats change, the wells where you drill are not the same, there are different grades and concentrations. A level of technological robustness is needed that has not yet been achieved.