The future nickel metal supply for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Electrochemical energy storage devices powered by clean and renewable natural energy have experienced rapid development to mitigate fossil fuel shortage and CO₂ emission. Among them, high-nickel ternary cathodes for lithium-ion batteries capture a growing market owing to their high energy density and reasonable price. However, the critical metal supply for high-nickel ternary cathode materials will be a thorny issue in the future with the dramatic development of power lithium-ion batteries. Currently, a comprehensive analysis of lithium and cobalt metals is performed in some studies in terms of resources, reserves, and recycling, whereas comprehensive reports on nickel metal supply for power lithium-ion batteries are rare. Therefore, it is crucial to carry out an overall analysis of nickel metal supply in conjunction with the early surge in nickel price. In this review, we provide a detailed description of nickel metal supply for power lithium-ion batteries with regard to application, current situation, reserves, resources, extraction and recycling. Some conclusions and prospects are proposed about the future nickel metal supply for lithium-ion batteries, which is expected to provide guidance for nickel metal supply in the future, particularly in the application of high nickel cathodes in lithium-ion batteries.