Cobalt accounted for a 55 percent share of the composition of lithium cobalt oxide batteries (LCO), also known as lithium cobaltate or lithium-ion-cobalt batteries, as of 2017.
Cobalt: an overview
Cobalt is a silver-grey metal that is also a chemical element. Cobalt’s primary ores are cobaltite and erythrite. It is typically recovered as a byproduct of mining nickel, silver, lead, copper, and iron. Some of its uses include making alloys for jet engines, magnetic steels, stainless steels, and as well as batteries. Cobalt is also essential for making airbags in cars, drying agents for paints, and rechargeable battery electrodes. In 2017 the global demand for cobalt in batteries was 38 kilotons. This is expected to significantly increase and reach 117 kilotons in 2025.
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Visual Capitalist. (January 9, 2017). Cobalt composition share in selected lithium-ion battery cathodes as of 2017 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 13, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/655948/composition-share-of-cobalt-in-lithium-ion-battery-cathodes/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Visual Capitalist. "Cobalt composition share in selected lithium-ion battery cathodes as of 2017." Chart. January 9, 2017. Statista. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/655948/composition-share-of-cobalt-in-lithium-ion-battery-cathodes/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Visual Capitalist. (2017). Cobalt composition share in selected lithium-ion battery cathodes as of 2017. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 13, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/655948/composition-share-of-cobalt-in-lithium-ion-battery-cathodes/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Visual Capitalist. "Cobalt Composition Share in Selected Lithium-ion Battery Cathodes as of 2017." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Jan 2017, https://www.statista.com/statistics/655948/composition-share-of-cobalt-in-lithium-ion-battery-cathodes/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Visual Capitalist, Cobalt composition share in selected lithium-ion battery cathodes as of 2017 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/655948/composition-share-of-cobalt-in-lithium-ion-battery-cathodes/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed (last visited February 13, 2025)
Cobalt composition share in selected lithium-ion battery cathodes as of 2017 [Graph], Visual Capitalist, January 9, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/655948/composition-share-of-cobalt-in-lithium-ion-battery-cathodes/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed