South Korea may command the global battery market excepting China, but the industry is at the mercy of China as it relies over 80 percent for the materials and components essential to produce rechargeable batteries.
Urea whose deficiency due to export curb by China is on the brink of paralyzing ground shipping and industrial activities is not the only commodity over-dependent on China, according to a study by the Korea International Trade Organization (KITA).
The study on imports from China from January to September showed 99 percent of Korea’s manganese imports come from China, 97.4 percent in aluminum cable, 94.5 percent in magnesium scrap, 93.8 percent in zinc coated steel sheet, 87.7 percent in graphite, 82 percent in electrical steel, and 76.9 percent in individual device chip component.
Magnesium and graphite are core materials to produce a secondary battery. Manganese is used in cathode materials that form a secondary battery. The element is found in South Africa, Brazil, and Australia, but China has the world’s biggest reserve.
According to Korea Mineral Resources Information Service, China was behind 31.67 million tons of manganese last year, nearly double 16.02 million ton output from the world’s second largest manganese producer South Africa.
Demand for manganese can only grow since global electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla and Volkswagen have set eyes on manganese as a replacement for cobalt that makes up the most expensive part of cathode materials.
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