GWANGYANG, South Korea — The mound of gray spodumene at POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solution’s warehouse in the South Korean port city of Gwangyang looks just like a massive pile of sand. But locked within the grains of the unprepossessing heap lies a key ingredient for making electric vehicle batteries.
“We get lithium hydroxide from spodumene by putting it through chemical processes,” said Son Hong-rok, a manager at the joint venture between South Korea’s POSCO Holdings and Australian miner Pilbara Minerals.