This paper is the result of mineral exploration engineering.
[Objective] In recent years, the global economic industry structure and energy supply structure have transformed to green and low-carbon with the accelerated development of new energy industry. Understanding the development status and trend of the global lithium resource industry chain under the background of new energy would help us provide basic insights for the sustainable development of the global lithium industry and relevant references for the government and enterprises to improve the competitiveness of the lithium resource industry chain.
[Methods] This paper reviews the specific impact of the increasing demand for new energy on the global lithium resource industry chain in terms of resource supply and demand, smelting and processing, end consumption, and recycling.
[Results] Under the background of new energy, the global terminal consumption of lithium resources, especially in the field of power battery, has continued to flourish; the global demand for lithium has grown rapidly, while the price has continued to rise under the misplacement of supply and demand. With the rising importantance of lithium resources in the world, major economies have listed it as a key mineral, which conducting a series of policies to ensure the safe supply of lithium resources in their own countries, strengthen the recycling of lithium resources, and promote the transformation and upgrading of industrial structure. The production mode, structure and development goal of the enterprises are developing in the direction of low-carbon, integration and sustainability.
[Conclusions] Developing efficient and clean energy has become an effective way to solve energy and environmental problems, and transportation electrification and energy storage make the global demand for lithium resources continue to increase rapidly. These changes have obvious impact not only on the supply pattern of lithium resources in the upstream, but also on the production and processing in the midstream and consumption structure in the downstream end of the industrial chain. However, the transmission and specific impact on every link of the industrial chain are uneven.