Learn about our trajectory in the Salar de Atacama.
SQM AND LITHIUM IN CHILE
History of Lithium in Chile
SQM began its history with lithium in 1996, when the company began producing potassium nitrate from sodium nitrate and potassium chloride.
We obtained large quantities of sodium nitrate from the caliche ore of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. However, Chile didn't produce potassium chloride, so we purchased it abroad, mainly from Canada.
The urgent need for a source of potassium chloride led top executives of SQM to explore the local market, until finding the solution in the Salar de Atacama, in northern Chile.
The North American company Amax and the Chilean company Molymet were unsuccessfully attempting to produce potassium, lithium, and potassium sulfate in the country. In 1992, both companies bid for their stake in the Minsal consortium, creating an opportunity for SQM. The company acquired the entire tendered stake and changed the company's name to SQM Salar.
Origin of lithium in the Salar de Atacama
Following the success of extracting potassium chloride from the Atacama Salt Flat, SQM executives began to focus on lithium, which by 1996 was already fetching an attractive international price. Noticing that the extracted brine contained similar levels of potassium chloride and lithium, the company decided produce lithium as a secondary product, which was becoming increasingly relevant.
In those years, lithium sales grew by nearly 3% annually. The industry used it primarily to produce lubricants, dyes, and inputs for glass and aluminum for construction.
Recognizing the area's great potential, SQM brought in experts with experience in lithium and built the first plant in Salar del Carmen to treat the brines and transform them into lithium carbonateThis process significantly reduced production costs compared to international competitors, as part of the expenses were absorbed through the production of potassium chloride.
Between 1994 and 2017, SQM invested more than US$1.800 billion in the Salar de Atacama. The company's success is based on the strategic approach to investments and the technology applied, which today enables the operation of one of the most advanced and sustainable potassium chloride and lithium plants in the world.
What is lithium and what is it used for?
Lithium is a naturally occurring chemical element used in a variety of applications, including rechargeable batteries, ceramics, glass and alloys of aluminum. SQM Litio is positioned as one of the main producers of lithium in the world and extracts and produces this element for its use in lithium-ion batteries, which power a wide range of electronic devices, from cell phones to electric vehicles. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry uses lithium to make medicines.
Benefits of Lithium
Lithium improves battery performance, allowing for longer charge times and greater energy efficiency. Furthermore, its lightness and high reactivity make it ideal for electronic applications.
What are lithium ions?
Lithium ions are lithium atoms with a positive charge due to the loss of one or more electrons. They are widely used in the manufacture of rechargeable lithium-ion batteriesessential for portable electronic devices such as phones, laptops and tablets, as well as for electric vehicles.
Sustainable lithium production
At SQM Lithium, we are dedicated to the extraction, sustainable production, and sale of chemical and mineral products, including lithium ions. We extract lithium from the salt flats of northern Chile, home to one of the world's largest lithium reserves. We then process the lithium to produce various products, including lithium hydroxide y lithium carbonatewhich are used by the battery industry to manufacture lithium-ion cells.
Our company, SQM Lithium, is one of the world's leading lithium producers and plays an important role in supplying lithium for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries.
It is important to differentiate between how and in what ways lithium is extracted and the associated effects and impacts on people and the environment. At SQM Lithium, we rigorously adhere to various international standards in the lithium production, by showing how lithium is extracted in a sustainable, ecological and socially responsible way, respecting the artists and ecosystems of the area.