This report reports an analysis of the availability (exploration and mining) of raw materials useful for batteries, with reference to the European and national context, as well as the evaluation of the ‘criticality’ factor of raw materials for use in batteries, with particular reference to lithium (Li) ion and sodium (Na) ion batteries (RSE is currently studying the latter), according to the criteria established by the European Community. An initial estimate of the costs for the production of sodium battery components was carried out, also using software tools available online; this was mainly done with the aim of comparing this technology with that currently applied for lithium batteries.

Special attention was paid to the evaluation of by-product materials of other raw materials and market fluctuations of the raw materials from the extraction or processing of which they are derived, and their availability in Italy was assesses in terms of potential for supply and domestic cultivation of resources.

Knowledge and monitoring over time of the dynamics on which the availability of materials depends can support choices in research and development activities, in particular for storage technologies, and can help in the economic assessment of different technological alternatives. In this regard, since 2008 the EU has launched RMI – the Raw Material Initiative, aimed at assessing the availability of raw materials used in Europe.

Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) are raw materials that are of fundamental economic importance for technologies used or under development in the EU, whose supply is associated with a certain level of risk, since they are linked to extraction from a limited and geopolitically restricted number of mining sites. There are two main parameters for assessing their criticality level: economic importance and supply risks. To these, other factors can be added that influence the use of these materials: environmental risk, the substitution index of a given material in the technology in which it is used, and the possibility of recycling. In 2017, the European Commission issued an updated list of materials considered critical, including cobalt, graphite, rare earths and platinum group elements. In this study, the integrated analysis carried out on this list of minerals established by the ‘Materials for Energy’ group, supported by an in-depth geo-mining investigation, has allowed RSE to identify the domestic availability of some materials and their major criticalities with reference to the technologies used for current batteries and those to be used for batteries that are currently being developed and are the subject of research in this project.