S.Korea's Lithium Plus succeeds in mass-producing lithium hydroxide

Lithium Plus, the S.Korean lithium materials company, said on Wednesday that it has succeeded in mass-producing battery-grade ultra-high-purity lithium hydroxide for the first time in Korea.

After completing the construction of the manufacturing plant on Oct. 13, Lithium Plus succeeded in producing the first batch of ultra-high-purity lithium hydroxide at its Chubuear plant, which started operation on Oct. 19 after undergoing an equipment inspection process.

The battery-grade lithium hydroxide produced this time boasts a purity of 99.995% as a result of its own component analysis and meets the specifications for raw materials for batteries. It can be used for high-nickel NCM batteries produced by domestic companies such as LG Energy Solution, SK On, and Samsung SDI.

The company said that it would be a great help to the Korean automobile and battery industries, which are experiencing increasing difficulties due to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This is because all the ultra-high-purity lithium hydroxide for batteries has been imported from overseas, of which 84% were from China.

Dr. Jeon Woong of Lithium Plus was one of the researchers who succeeded in localizing lithium with a unique technology registered as a patent, which the company said was the first step toward reducing the reliance on Chinese imports.

Lithium Plus will provide samples of the first lithium hydroxide output to lithium battery manufacturers, cathode material and electrolyte manufacturers, and lithium solid-state battery material manufacturers across the world. 

"It is very meaningful to design and operate a mass-production process for battery-grade ultra-high-purity lithium hydroxide with Korean patented technology only," said an official of Lithium Plus.

Write to Kyung-Min Kang at kkm1026@hankyung.com