Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Hydroxide are both raw materials for batteries, and the price of lithium carbonate has always been some cheaper than lithium hydroxide. What is the difference between the two materials?
Firstly, in production process, both can be extracted from lithium pyroxase, the cost gap is not so big. However if the two switch to each other, the additional cost and equipment are required, there will be no cost performance.
Lithium carbonate is mainly produced through sulphuric acid acid method, which is obtained through the reaction of sulfuric acid and lithium pyroxase, and sodium carbonate is added to the lithium sulfate solution, and then precipitated and dried to prepare lithium carbonate;
The preparation of lithium hydroxide mainly through alkali method, that is, roasting lithium pyroxene and calcium hydroxide. The others use method so – called sodium carbonate pressurization, that is, make lithium – containing solution, and then add lime to the solution to prepare lithium hydroxide.
Overall, lithium pyroxene can be used to prepare both lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, but the process route is different, the equipment cannot be shared, and there is no big cost gap. In addition, the cost of preparing lithium hydroxide with salt lake brine is much higher than the preparation of lithium carbonate.
Secondly, in part of application, high nickel ternary will use lithium hydroxide. NCA and NCM811 will use battery grade lithium hydroxide, while NCM622 and NCM523 can use both lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate. Thermal preparation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) products also require the use of lithium hydroxide. Generally, products made from lithium hydroxide usually perform better.