China Nonferrous Metallurgy

China owns cobalt reserves of around 80000t, accounting for about 1% of the global terrestrial cobalt reserves. However, it is also a major Co producer and consumer. In 2021, China’s refined Co output was 128000t, approximately 70% of the global total. Its Co metal consumption was over 80000t, more than 80% of which was for Li ion battery production. Therefore, China mainly relies on importing Co material, with a total of 90000t Co metal imported in 2021. The main raw materials of cobalt smelting are cobalt oxides, cobalt sulfides and cobalt alloy. In this paper, the characteristics and equipment for the smelting processes of the three kinds of materials were explained and summarized. On this basis, the main problems of China’s Co smelting were pointed out, namely excessive production capacity, overdependence on raw material imports, and to-be-improved product quality. The following suggestions were put forward: the development of Co industry shall be planned, orderly and scientific, and the blind expansion of Co smelting capacity shall be restricted; more R&D resources shall be committed to the recycling technologies of secondary Co resources to develop the circular economies of Co battery waste material, waste alloy, and waste catalyst; the new processes and technologies of Co smelting shall be developed to secure the state-of-the-art status of Co smelting and to produce high-end products.