Li4LIFE will develop an efficient technology to extract lithium from poor or complex ores from unexploited deposits and post-mining tailings; these raw materials will form the basis for the development of future clean energy products.

Term:
01.03.2024 to 28.02.2027

Motivation and project goals
The goal of a climate-neutral EU by 2050 is an important driver for the search for new sources of indigenous Li raw materials. In particular, the need for high performance Li compounds is expected to grow exponentially in response to the increasing demand for electric vehicles and other strategic Li-based technologies.
Recent studies show that by 2040, up to 90% of the demand for Li will come from the battery manufacturing sector, which is a key driver for green technologies. As there are no viable alternatives to the use of Li-ion batteries, the demand for Li is growing faster than that for other key materials used in batteries. For example, some traction batteries can function without one or two common materials such as Ni, Co, Mn or graphite, but not without Li.
The latest demand forecast analysis by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre showed a dramatic increase in demand for materials in the EU. Materials used in the electromobility sector are expected to see the highest relative increase in demand. To illustrate, EU demand for lithium for batteries is expected to increase 12-fold in 2030 (compared to 2020) in a high demand scenario and as much as 21-fold in 2050.
Li4Life's efforts support the EU's plans for a green transition and becoming a major supplier to the fast-growing European battery sector to reduce dependence on foreign supplies of Li. Li4Life aims to introduce new environmentally friendly downstream processes to successfully create new Li value chains for Li battery concentrates from four European underutilised deposits, with a focus on poor and/or complex ores (petalite, lepidolite, swinefordite and zinnwaldite). One of the key features of the project is to determine the bulk utilisation of the remaining mine waste to reduce the overall environmental impact of mining.
Finally, the strategic implementation of the project also includes a commitment to obtain a social licence for the company's operations and business models and to ensure compliance with the EU environmental framework, which is an important factor for medium and long-term success in the sector.