Production and industrial production capacity
Lithium metallurgy

While it's relatively easy to find out about production by country, it's virtually impossible to assess industrial production capacity accurately. Indeed, although the resources of South America's salt lakes are enormous, this does not mean that production capacity is proportional. Global annual production capacity in 2006 was approximately :

• 10,000 to 12,000 t of Li ₂ O for all mining concentrates;

• 60,000 t of Li ₂ O for all South American brines.

Production capacity from South American brines can be greatly increased if lithium uses grow very rapidly, but this would lead to an overproduction of other salts (nitrates, sodium chloride, iodine, boron, etc.) that the markets would be...