Lithium Plus Supplies Battery-Grade Lithium Hydroxide for All-Solid-State Battery Material Companies

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Lithium Plus announced on the 30th that it will sell battery-grade ultra-high purity lithium hydroxide produced at its Chubu Plant in Geumsan-gun, Chungnam Province, to domestic all-solid-state battery material manufacturers. All battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate are sold through its subsidiary, Hydro Lithium.

The contracting party is a company that manufactures lithium sulfide (Li₂S), a core material for all-solid-state batteries. This company has completed the first quality evaluation of Lithium Plus's initial lithium hydroxide product and plans to test-inject 600kg of lithium hydroxide into the mass production process of lithium sulfide used in all-solid-state batteries. The ultra-high purity lithium hydroxide supplied by Lithium Plus, with a purity of 99.995%, has lower carbonate and impurity content than products from global lithium hydroxide manufacturers, making it suitable for manufacturing lithium sulfide for all-solid-state batteries.

Since producing the initial lithium hydroxide product with 99.995% purity in December last year, Lithium Plus has been sending samples to domestic battery material companies for suitability testing.

A company official explained, "The counterpart's evaluation of the component tests for the initial battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate products is very positive," adding, "Inquiries about supply availability are increasing."

Lithium Plus built its first plant in Geumsan, Chungnam, producing 3,600 tons per year of lithium hydroxide using patented technology developed by founder Dr. Jeon Woong. This plant is known as the first domestic facility producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide.

A Lithium Plus official emphasized, "We are pleased to have succeeded in mass production and shipped the initial volume through production facilities established with Korea's unique lithium refining technology," adding, "We will accelerate the construction of the second lithium hydroxide plant and a lithium advanced refining plant through our subsidiaries Hydro Lithium and Urban Lithium to contribute to stabilizing the domestic lithium hydroxide supply chain."

Domestic battery-grade ultra-high purity lithium hydroxide is entirely dependent on imports, with about 87% imported from China. Hydro Lithium announced plans to increase domestic production by building a second plant with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons based on the know-how of Lithium Plus's Geumsan plant.