Lithium (Li): geological, economic and industrial aspects

Whereas lithium is one of the main components of devices of electrochemical storage of electric power, this light metal is nowadays a high matter of interest, even though it has been used for a long time. The authors propose an overview of geological, economic and industrial aspects related to this metal. They present this element (origin, discovery, abundance, properties), give an overview of resources and reserves (type of geological cumulation, presence in brines, in pegmatites and granites, other sites and deposit types and their locations), describe how the metal is produced (processes and costs in Latin America, or in China and Australia), and present the final forms of use of lithium (lithium carbonate and hydroxide in batteries, in nuclear fusion)