New energy vehicle sales are booming, making the essential raw material "lithium" of essential raw materials. The price of lithium carbonate is approaching the 600,000 yuan/ton mark. The three South American countries rich in lithium ore are also trying to compete for the pricing power of lithium resources. Argentina, Chile , and Bolivia promote the establishment of the "Lithium Triangle OPEC".
In the new energy era, cars are often not subject to oil but to lithium. How to get rid of the constraints of scarcity of lithium resources? CATL and other midstream manufacturers are trying to find solutions. They turned their attention to the "long-clogged" sodium ion batteries.
1 On November 9, Meng Xiangfeng, assistant chairman of CATL, said that the industrialization of sodium ion batteries will solve the problem of tight supply of some lithium resources and the surge in lithium prices.
Sodium ion battery industrialization is really coming? In the view of Shao Junhua, founder of Farnlet and winner of the China Invention and Entrepreneurship Award, sodium ion batteries still need to solve the three major problems of high-temperature cycling gas production, low-temperature cycling charging, and high-voltage cycling life. He believes that the current technical route of positive electrode materials has not been determined and is not suitable for large-scale mass production. It is expected that industrialization will be even later by 2024.
Image source: Photo Network 307814554
Sodium
Since exceeding 500,000 yuan/ton in March 2022, the price of lithium carbonate fluctuated and downward. According to Wind data, after hovering below 500,000 yuan for half a year, the price of lithium carbonate rose again, and once again exceeded 500,000 yuan/ton at the end of September, and rose to more than 550,000 yuan/ton in early November. On November 10, the price of lithium carbonate was 570,000 yuan/ton, approaching the 600,000 yuan/ton mark. In December 2020, the price of lithium carbonate was less than 50,000 yuan/ton.
The price of lithium carbonate has increased nearly ten times in one year, and midstream and downstream manufacturers are suffering. However, lithium resources are precisely irreplaceable in the lithium battery system. So why not change the material system and change lithium to sodium elements with relatively similar chemical properties? Sodium ion batteries started almost at the same time as lithium ion battery . However, lithium batteries were successfully commercialized in the 1990s, but sodium ion batteries have been developing slowly. It was not until 2020 that it began to be applied to the energy storage field and moved towards industrialization.
In the context of high lithium prices today, the widely distributed and low-cost sodium has been paid attention to again.
"Overall, (sodium ion battery) has advantages in cost; safety, it also has advantages. Especially in terms of alleviating the pressure of lithium resources, such as rich sodium reserves. In addition, sodium ion batteries have strong compatibility with lithium battery equipment. In the development of electrolyte and separator, mature technologies related to lithium batteries can also be learned from." On October 28, Shao Junhua told the reporter of " Daily Economic News ".
Image source: Toubao Research Institute 2021 China Sodium Ion Battery Industry Research Short Report
Longzhong Information analyst Wang Juan told reporters on November 4: " sodium element is very widely distributed on the earth, and most of the lithium resources currently used in my country are imported. Domestic lithium ores are mainly concentrated in in the southwest region of , and the grade of the ore is not very high." The report released in August 2021 provided by the Toubao Research Institute to reporters showed that the crust abundance of sodium resources reached 2.75%, ranking 6th in the crust, and sodium resources are distributed all over the world. The crust abundance of lithium ion is 0.0065%, and the resource distribution is uneven, and 75% of the lithium resources are distributed in South America.
According to the above report, the quotation for the positive electrode material of lithium iron phosphate of lithium iron phosphate is about 170,000 yuan/ton. In comparison, the price of sodium battery is more "people-friendly". Among them, the price of positive electrode materials such as copper iron-manganese layered oxide is about 29,000 yuan/ton, the price of nickel iron-manganese layered oxide is about 42,000 yuan/ton, and the price of Prussian white is 26,000 yuan/ton.
According to Chuanyi Technology (002866.SZ), the mass production cost of sodium battery materials is about 30% to 40% cheaper than lithium iron phosphate battery . With the further completion of industrialization, the cost should be lower.Nowadays, the price of lithium carbonate has approached the 600,000 yuan/ton mark, and the price gap is even more obvious.
Capital market competition: The sodium electricity concept is sought after
In the A-share market , sodium ion battery concept stock is also widely sought after, and one of the representative companies is Chuanyi Technology. On the evening of June 22, Chuanyi Technology disclosed that it had established its subsidiary Jiangsu Chuanyi Sodium Electric Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Chuanyi Sodium Electric), announcing its layout of sodium battery business. On June 23, hit the daily limit . From June 20 to November 16, Chuanyi Technology's range of increased by as high as 289.28%.
November 15, the concept of sodium ion became popular again, with Meilian New Materials and Qicai Chemical rising 20% and 14.39% respectively. The two listed companies signed the strategic cooperation agreement in September, intending to jointly produce the 180,000-ton battery-grade Prussian blue (white) industrialization project. Prussian blue (white) is one of the three major technical routes for the positive electrode material of sodium ion battery.
Even the lithium battery leader CATL is actively deploying sodium ion batteries. Toubao Research Institute believes that since 2017, CATL's net profit has increased year by year, but its gross profit margin has continued to decline, from about 44% in 2017 to about 28% in 2020. In 2021, the gross profit margin further dropped to 26.28%, and in the first quarter of 2022, it fell to 14.48%. The main reason is that the prices of upstream raw materials continued to rise.
Reducing dependence on lithium may also be an inevitable choice for CATL. With the continuous advancement of technology, the development of sodium ion batteries can reduce the risk of being bored by upstream lithium resources and can serve as an effective technical reserve.
CATL is also taking action. On July 29, 2021, CATL released the first generation of sodium ion batteries. The energy density of the battery cell cell reaches 160Wh/kg; the battery can reach more than 80% after charging for 15 minutes at room temperature; in a low temperature environment of ﹣20℃, it also has a discharge retention rate of more than 90%; the system integration efficiency can reach more than 80%.
In January 2022, CATL announced that according to the paper "Road Map for Sodium Ion Battery in 2021" jointly written by scientists from multiple institutions such as Lancaster University and Cambridge University , and according to the public information of some sodium ion battery manufacturers, the world's leading sodium ion battery has achieved an energy density of 100Wh/kg to 160Wh/kg (for example, the energy density of Faradion's sodium ion battery in 2021 reached 150Wh/kg). CATL said that the energy density of the second-generation sodium ion battery cell cell will exceed 200Wh/kg. You should know that the maximum energy density of lithium iron phosphate battery cells is only around 210Wh/kg.
As a result, the sodium ion battery blueprint drawn by CATL continues to attract new entrants.
On October 24, Chuanyi Technology said that due to strong downstream demand, Chuanyi sodium electro-sodium ion battery project originally planned to build 2GWh capacity and 8GWh phase 2. Now the company has moved the construction of part of the second phase of the project to adjust it to the construction of 4.5GWh phase 1 production capacity of the first phase. The construction of the second phase of the project is based on the progress of the first phase of the project.
On the morning of October 27, Chuanyi Technology issued an announcement stating that the company's sodium ion battery pilot line equipment was installed and debugged and put into production. The relevant technical parameters of the sodium ion battery product produced are: monomer energy density 150Wh/kg ~ 160Wh/kg, and the number of cycles shall not be less than 4,000 times.
"Daily Economic News" reporter learned that the first phase of the Chuanyi sodium electrolyte 150,000 tons electrolyte project started construction on October 23. It is expected to be completed by the end of December. After all the projects are completed and completed, they can meet the needs of 100 GWh sodium ion or lithium ion batteries, and the output value of can reach 10 billion yuan.
htmlOn October 21, CATL's investor relations records also showed that the company's sodium ion battery industrialization is progressing smoothly, and it will take some time to layout the supply chain. It has negotiated with some passenger car customers and will be officially mass-produced next year.
Controversy among three technical routes
In the field of lithium-ion battery positive electrodes, lithium iron phosphate has been "entangled" with ternary lithium for many years.
In the field of sodium ion batteries, there are also many disputes over the selection of positive electrode materials.Among them are layered oxides, Prussian blue (white) and polyanions. It is understood that layered oxides focus on energy density; Prussian blue (white) focus on low cost; polyanion focus on cycle life.
At present, CATL's first generation sodium ion battery adopts Prussian white materials; Beijing Zhongke Haiso Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Zhongke Haiso) adopts the layered oxide route; Chuanyi Technology has both layered oxides and polyanions.
Xinli information analyst Zhang Jinhui believes: "Three paths are carried out simultaneously, and it is not certain who will win."
This is because all the three major routes have advantages and disadvantages. Zhang Jinhui said that due to the high energy density, excellent circulation performance and good rate performance, the excellent comprehensive performance of layered oxides are currently the mainstream direction of sodium ion batteries. However, it also has the disadvantages of poor stability in the air, easy jelly slurry, and unstable capacity.
However, in response to a question from a reporter from the "Daily Economic News", relevant staff of Chuanyi Technology said that layered oxides have various technical routes and different solutions to related problems. He himself has not heard from the company's technicians that the sodium battery positive electrode material has a problem of high temperature gas production of layered oxides.
"The biggest problem with Prussian white is crystallization water. Prussian blue (white) is also toxic, and recycling requires money." Zhang Jinhui said that when the positive electrode of Prussian blue will release hydrocyanic acid , cyanide gas and other highly toxic gases. The preparation of this material involves highly toxic sodium cyanide, and the production and supply requires special qualifications.
According to relevant staff of Chuanyi Technology, polyanions have high stability and are simpler in manufacturing than layered oxides, but their energy density is much lower, and are mainly used for large-scale energy storage. Zhang Jinhui also said that there are not many manufacturers adopting the polyanion route.
The above staff also said that Chuanyi sodium electrolyte adopts the technical route of positive electrode layered oxide and polyanionic oxide and negative electrode hard carbon. "The industry has reached a consensus on the technical route of sodium batteries. The industry does not exclude other technical routes, but some problems of other technical routes cannot be solved in a short period of time." The staff member believes.
Shao Junhua summarized: "First, it is necessary to improve high-temperature circulation gas production; second, it is necessary to improve low-temperature circulation charging; third, it is necessary to improve high-voltage circulation life. As for electrolyte manufacturers, they must start from new additives and understand the direction so that sodium ion batteries can be industrialized."
To sum up, many technologies for sodium ion batteries are still under exploration. Judging from the current patent reserves, China's CATL and the UK's Faradion are at the forefront of the industry.
Smart Ba data shows that CATL and its affiliated companies currently have more than 110 patent applications in the field of sodium ion batteries, including more than 240 authorized invention patents, mainly in related fields such as positive electrode active substances, Prussian blue, positive electrode current collectors, etc.
Zhongke Hainam and its affiliated companies currently have more than 30 patent applications in the field of sodium ion batteries, including 7 authorized invention patents, mainly in related fields such as positive electrode materials, negative electrode materials, battery pack components, etc.; relevant staff of Chuanyi Technology said that the company currently has 60 to 70 patents in the field of sodium ion batteries. As for foreign manufacturers, Faradion and its affiliated companies in the field of sodium ion batteries, there are more than 110 patent applications for the UK Faradion and its affiliated companies in the field of sodium ion batteries, including more than 40 authorized invention patents, mainly in related fields such as battery electrodes, electrolytes, and alkali metal . The US Natron Energy and its affiliated companies currently have more than 10 patent applications for the field of sodium ion batteries, including 6 authorized invention patents, mainly in related fields such as battery electrodes, transition metal , and metal cyanide. In addition, Japan Kishida Chemical currently has 17 patent applications, and the company has no patents directly related to sodium ion batteries.
Therefore, Zhihuiya believes that as a cutting-edge R&D field, various manufacturers are currently actively making arrangements, and the amount of patent reserves is still growing.In comparison, CATL and Faradion, the UK, have a rich reserve in the field of sodium ion batteries, both of which have exceeded 100 pieces.
"PPT battery"? There are still many problems in the mass production of sodium electricity.
. Is the era of sodium ion batteries really coming?
1 On November 10, a reporter from "Daily Economic News" visited Chuanyi Technology, a subsidiary of Chuanyi Sodium Electric, located in Gaoyou, Jiangsu. The on-site sign shows that the Chuanyi sodium-electric project covers an area of about 140 mu, plans to invest 1 billion yuan, and plans to build 150,000 tons of sodium (lithium) ion battery electrolyte.
Transfer Sodium Electric Project Introduction Source: Reporter Huang Xinlei of Meike
The reporter saw at the scene that the factory building of the first phase project has been completed, the foundation is being laid on the construction site of the second phase project, and workers are building scaffolding. A relevant person in charge of the construction party told reporters that the equipment of the first phase of the project has been launched one after another and is expected to be put into production in January 2023.
The second phase of Chuanyi Sodium Electricity Project under construction Source: Reporter Huang Xinlei of Meijing Photo by
For the current progress in the construction of the sodium ion battery project, on November 10, Chuanyi Technology staff introduced that the company's sodium battery project and electrolyte project cover a total area of more than 400 mu, with a total construction area of 120,000 square meters. Among them, the 200MWh pilot line was put into production on October 27. The pilot line uses a factory area of more than 6,000 square meters, with a total investment of about 50 million yuan, and more than 100 sets of equipment were purchased.
"Before the pilot line is put into production, the positive and negative electrode materials are already being produced, and the electrolyte is obtained through outsourcing in the early stage and will be independently supplied in the later stage. At present, the capacity of the electrolyte project under construction in the first phase matches the capacity of the positive and negative electrode materials project." The staff member said that the factory building of the first phase project has been almost completed, and the second phase is under construction. The first phase project will be put into production in early 2023. There will be a subsequent capacity climbing process, which will take about two to three months.
The staff member also said that the company is making the entire sodium battery industry chain . The positive electrode material of the first phase project mainly produces layered oxides, and the electrolyte formula is mature and has been in the leading position in the industry.
is different from Chuanyi Technology's "prosperous" promotion project. Many industry experts said in an interview with reporters that mass production of sodium ion batteries may not be easy.
"Although sodium batteries and lithium batteries are products of the same era, there are big gaps. At present, each company is still in the laboratory stage, and there are still few in the market, and more (stay in) 'PPT'." Zhang Jinhui believes that "sodium ion batteries are temporarily difficult to use in the field of power batteries, and there is still a big gap with lithium iron phosphate in terms of energy storage. In terms of cost, it is indeed 40%. However, the number of cycles is mostly less, and the recycling of waste is of no value, and there is also a cost. It cannot beat lithium iron phosphate in energy storage."
Regarding the technical difficulties of sodium ion batteries, Shao Junhua bluntly stated: "The positive electrode material has not been put into production on a large scale; the cycle stability of the positive electrode material needs to be improved. Lithium-ion batteries have been developed for many years, such as lithium iron phosphate cycle life can reach 10,000 times, which is incomparable. In addition, the negative electrode can only be selected for hard carbon at present, which is the first charging and replacing the entire battery with the first charge and replacement of Coulomb efficiency and the price is also relatively high."
The above is a problem with the positive electrode material. In addition, in terms of electrolyte, Shao Junhua said: "The current electrolyte is also in the exploration stage, and the most used sodium hexafluorophosphate on the market is used." In terms of battery cells, Shao Junhua believes that the energy density of monomers is relatively low, only above 100Wh/kg. The most critical indicator of the battery cell is energy density. Wang Juan, an analyst at Longzhong Information, believes: "The diameter of sodium ions is larger than that of lithium ions. In terms of volume, the energy density of sodium ions is definitely not as good as that of lithium ions. In terms of conductivity, the difficulty of embedding and deintercalation of sodium ions is greater than that of lithium ions, so it is more difficult for sodium ions to flow. This should be improved through the choice of technical routes, and the key is the energy density."
" In the laboratory, the number of cycles (sodium ion battery) can indeed reach the level of lithium iron phosphate, but this is only the laboratory data, and there is a certain difference from the results of large-scale industrial production. "Wang Juan believes that mass production of (sodium ion batteries) is possible in 2023. It is a bit difficult to apply to power batteries, and it is still possible to use them in energy storage. "
In addition, Wang Juan also said: "In theory, sodium ion batteries are much lower than lithium ion batteries. However, lithium-ion batteries have been mass-produced, while the sodium-ion battery industry chain has not been built. From the perspective of the industrial chain, sodium ion batteries do not currently have cost advantages over lithium ion batteries. ”
reporter| Zhu Chengxiang Huang Xinlei Edit| Liang Xiao Lu Xiangyong Gai Yuanyuan
proofreading| Sun Zhicheng
