YICHUN, China : Down a steep dirt road from the Baishi Huashan lithium mine in southern China, trucks laden with silvery grey ore rumble towards a cluster of smelters in the valley below that have sprung up to cash in on the electric vehicle battery boom.The city of Yichun, China's most prospective region
YICHUN, China : Down a steep dirt road from the Baishi Huashan lithium mine in southern China, trucks laden with silvery grey ore rumble towards a cluster of smelters in the valley below that have sprung up to cash in on the electric vehicle battery boom.
At the same time, concern is growing about the environmental impact of extracting lithium ore from lepidolite, which has already led Yichun authorities to shut some plants, further challenging the country's drive for self-reliance. Yichun, a city of 5 million people surrounded by forest-covered mountains rich with lepidolite, is leading that push.
However, Yichun faces a big cost disadvantage. Separating lithium from lepidolite can cost as much as 100,000 yuan per metric ton, compared to 40,000-50,000 yuan for brine and 50,000-60,000 yuan for spodumene, analysts said. Along the road to the Baishi mine, red banners implore:"Unite to crack down on natural resources chaos".
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