Smelters are scrambling to find alternatives to one of the main raw materials used to make rechargeable batteries, as an export clampdown by dominant producer the Democratic Republic of Congo sends prices soaring.
Curbs on the export of mined cobalt hydroxide imposed last year by the DR Congo, the source of about three quarters of global supply, have underlined the risks of relying on a single producer.
Smelters in China, where most of the material is shipped, have been left racing to find replacements including shredded batteries, known as “black mass”, and recycled cobalt metal that they can dissolve and reprocess.
您已阅读12%（623字），剩余88%（4562字）包含更多重要信息，订阅以继续探索完整内容，并享受更多专属服务。