English 
Spanish 
3 min read
0 comments
Brazil has a huge reserve of 'white gold' capable of boosting the economy. Understand where the largest lithium reserves in the world are and how it can change the country's game.
Lithium, a rare grayish-white metal, is widely used as a raw material in the technological industry and is therefore known as “white gold” due to its crucial role in the economic development of nations. Brazil is one of the countries that has a large reserve of this valuable metal. According to data from the Mineral Commodity Summaries From 2022, the country produced 600 tons of lithium in 2022.
Understand the importance of lithium reserves for Brazil
The lithium reserve is a unique opportunity to leverage the country's regional development, not only within the scope of mineral research and mining, but also throughout the entire metal production chain, going through the processing stages.
The structuring of this chain also involves the implementation of the entire parallel supply network for inputs and services, as well as the opportunity for scientific and technological development in the various productive sectors.
- A European company surprised the world with its project: transforming cigarette butts into asphalt to build new roads
- Elon Musk wants Brazil's agriculture! Starlink, the billionaire's company, is running a mega promotion to bring internet to the entire Brazilian countryside
- BYD plans to invest US$1 BILLION and build another factory, generating many jobs for the population and boosting the economy! However, the new unit of the Chinese giant will not be in Brazil
- Almost infinite supply of “Blue Gold” discovered in Brazil, an essential resource for the development of new technologies that attracts global investors
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), global lithium reserves in 2022 totaled around 26 million tons, with the countries holding the largest reserves being Chile in the lead, followed by Australia, Argentina and China. Brazil was in seventh place with its lithium reserves. The largest producer in the world is Australia.
According to Rafael Assis, Coordinator of the Geology Course at USP, the volume of lithium, as a reserve of natural lithium, is greater in semi-arid regions, with ephemeral rains that generate small lakes that have a high rate of evaporation during the summer, and consequently, they dry. With evaporation, lithium salts precipitate, such as the lithium triangle between Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.
Where is the 'white gold' reserve located in Brazil?
The Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB) states that Brazilian lithium reserves are located in the state of Minas Gerais, with emphasis on the Jequitinhonha Valley, also known as the Lithium Valley. The Lithium Valley is formed by the 14 cities Araçuaí, Capelinha, Coronel Murta, Itinga, Itaobim, Malacacheta, Medina, Pedra Azul, Minas Novas, Virgem da Lapa, Teófilo Otoni and Turmalina, in the Northeast of Minas, and Rubelita and Salinas, in the North Minas Gerais.
The mineral found in the lithium reserve has a high degree of purity, unlike most other countries, which facilitates its use in the manufacture of more powerful batteriesFurthermore, extraction on mining land uses less water than the traditional model, making the process less harmful to the environment.
Brazil earns more than R$1 billion in the first half of 2023 alone
A Brazilian Lithium Company (CBL), which was a pioneer and is the only one to explore the 'white gold' reserve in the region, has been producing since 1991 at its Mina da Cachoeira, in the municipalities of Araçuaí and Itinga and reports a total of measured resources of 4,5 million of tons of lithium and a production capacity of 45 thousand tons per year of spodumene concentrate.
Four other mining companies, all listed on Nasdaq, develop mineral exploration projects in the Jequitinhonha Valley: Sigma Lithium, Atlas Lithium, Lithium Ionic and Latin Resources.
Other regions of Brazil have indications of lithium reserves, such as the states of Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Goiás, Bahia and less voluminous ones in Rio Grande do Sul. According to estimates, the country may have around 900 million tons of lithium in your reserves.
Brazil earned R$1,4 billion from lithium production in the first half of 2023 compared to R$336 million in the same period in 2022, an increase of 329,5%.
