Fastmarkets Asian Ferro-alloys Conference 2024 (AFA) took place in Hong Kong, China, on February 26-28, with discussions on the latest developments and the potential for the global market. Here we outline our four key takeaways from the event

The company will be growing its battery-grade lithium carbonate or hydroxide production from its new direct-lithium extraction (DLE) project

Volatile BRM prices can generate uneven profits and highlight the need for risk management

Major carmaker Mercedes-Benz has deepened its plans to expand operations in Europe’s lithium-ion battery recycling space with the order of a new hydrometallurgical plant to recover battery metals from black mass

Read more on how we are bringing transparency to the LFP battery market

Fastmarkets explores two key emerging battery chemistries and whether they have the ability to alleviate battery material supply challenges

China has increased the pace of developing vanadium redox flow battery projects in the past two years, and the trend is likely to last for the next few years, given that the battery appears to be a safer and more reliable solution for the country’s mass energy storage needs

Alternative chemistries to lithium-ion batteries could account for more than 10% of the nascent stationary energy storage market by 2025, according to research group IDTechEx

Frequently asked questions about lithium, a key energy transition material

Lithium production must quadruple between 2020 and 2030 to meet growing demand, from 345,000 tonnes in 2020 to 2 million tonnes in 2030. That is the biggest challenge and opportunity facing the lithium industry in the next decade