Indigenisation of Lithium ion battery manufacturing
A fabrication laboratory for lithium-ion batteries will soon be set up in Bengaluru. The International Advanced Research Center for Powder Metallurgy and Pneumatics (ARCI) has signed an agreement with a private firm for technology transfer and personnel training for this lab.
The objective of this agreement is to promote the up-gradation and commercialization of lithium ion technology. Lithium is a rare element, which is not commonly found in India. India is currently dependent on imports for all its lithium requirements.
It is noteworthy that China, Hong Kong and Vietnam are the major sources of its imports.
About Lithium-Ion Battery
- Lithium-ion batteries are a type of rechargeable battery. It is charged and discharged by lithium ions moving between the negative (anode) and positive (cathode) electrodes.
- Its applications include consumer electronics such as smart phones and personal computers, industrial robots, production equipment and automobiles.
- The advantages of lithium-ion batteries over other batteries include higher energy density, higher voltage, longer shelf life, lower self-discharge rate, lower maintenance cost, etc. It is also environmentally friendly, as it does not contain the toxic substance cadmium.
Disadvantages
- These include the tendency to overheat during use, the risk of damage at high voltage, and the higher cost compared to other batteries.
- Extraction of Lithium – Lithium was first discovered in the petalite mineral. Lepidolite and Spodumene are other common minerals in which lithium is found.
The extraction of lithium is possible in the following ways:
- From primary resources such as ores/minerals (spodumene, petalite and lepidolite) by acid, alkaline and chlorination processes and from saline water (brings) by absorption, Precipitation and ion exchange processes, etc.
- Secondary resources including industrial processes such as recovery of lithium from lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).
Lithium ion battery manufacturing
Source – The Hindu
