In response to a worldwide increase in demand for lithium, one of the most important raw materials to produce electric car batteries and battery storage for photovoltaic systems, IMCD has developed an innovative solution for lithium-free ternary binder system formulations.

A key raw material in the e-mobility industry is lithium carbonate. With rising demand in both electric car batteries and photocoltaic storage, it is more and more challenging to access.

"In the coming years, it is estimated that around 90 percent¹ of the available raw material will be sourced for rechargeable batteries," said Manuel Baumann, managing director at IMCD Middle East and the Global Director of Construction. The heated market is driving up prices and is creating a challenge for the construction sector to obtain its vital additive used on ternary binder systems. “Although lithium carbonate is used in very small amounts in construction, the total volume of the raw material is highly relevant, as fast-setting applications are important to the global sector. This is why I am excited to present an accelerator alternative to our customers.”

More information on IMCD's lithium carbonate alternative for fast-setting ternary formulations can be found at the company’s  European Coatings Show 2023 Newsroom (https://www.imcd.de/en/press/imcd-media-kit-ecs-2023).

1 https://www.deutsche-rohstoffagentur.de/DE/Gemeinsames/Produkte/Downloads/DERA_

Rohstoffinformationen/rohstoffinformationen-54.pdf?  blob=publicationFile&v=2 (cf. Fig. 21, page 54)