The extraction and smelting of lithium lepidolite produce toxic...

The extraction and smelting of lithium lepidolite produce toxic by-products such as thallium and tantalum, causing serious water pollution, said Wu Wei, assistant professor at Xiamen University.

According to media reports, authorities in Yichun have found toxic substances in the Jinhe River water.

Eric Norris, president of energy storage at the world's top lithium miner, Albemarle Corp ALB, said American miners would never be allowed to process lithium lepidolite as seen in China.

"This comes with enormous environmental costs," Norris told Reuters.

In December 2022, Yongxing Special Materials Technology announced that its subsidiary's Yichun factory had shut down for 10 days as authorities investigated abnormal water quality in the Jinhe River.

Around the same time, Chinese media outlet "The Paper" reported that one of Yongxing Special Materials Technology's factories in Yichun was among four factories in the area that suspended production after high levels of thallium were found in water samples from the main river used for water supply in the region.

Lü Jun, director of the Yichun Lithium Battery New Energy Industry Development Center, stated that by 2025, if Yichun achieves its target of producing 500,000 tons of lithium carbonate annually, it will generate approximately 10 million tons of tailings.

This would be more than ten times the current tailings processing capacity in Yichun, according to information cited by Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based non-profit organization Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE).

"Previously, local environmental regulations were not very strict. With regulations becoming increasingly stringent, Yichun's lithium resources will lose competitiveness, and environmental protection costs will also rise," Ma Jun said.