[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":752},["ShallowReactive",2],{"ticker-data":3,"story-article/manganese-demand-rising-as-alternative-cathode-chemistries-gain-popularity":540},[4,52,82,112,148,186,228,259,296,328,371,412,450,481,510],{"publishedDate":5,"updateFrequency":6,"updateFrequencyText":7,"label":8,"today":9,"last":10,"percentageChange":11,"yearToDate":12,"yearOnYear":13,"oneYearIndexTrend":14,"url":48,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"2026-05-27","2wk","Updated every 2 weeks","Lithium",411.01,408.51,0.61,75.85,175.57,[15,16,18,21,24,27,30,33,36,39,42,45],{"date":5,"value":9},{"date":17,"value":10},"2026-05-13",{"date":19,"value":20},"2026-04-29",372.51,{"date":22,"value":23},"2026-04-15",354.35,{"date":25,"value":26},"2026-04-01",346.55,{"date":28,"value":29},"2026-03-18",351.32,{"date":31,"value":32},"2026-03-04",346.6,{"date":34,"value":35},"2026-02-18",324,{"date":37,"value":38},"2026-02-04",337.67,{"date":40,"value":41},"2026-01-21",298.32,{"date":43,"value":44},"2026-01-07",233.73,{"date":46,"value":47},"2025-12-24",203.79,"/lithium/prices",null,false,true,{"publishedDate":5,"updateFrequency":6,"updateFrequencyText":7,"label":53,"today":54,"last":55,"percentageChange":56,"yearToDate":57,"yearOnYear":58,"oneYearIndexTrend":59,"url":48,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"Lithium Carbonate",449.85,451.12,-0.28,77.12,181.56,[60,61,62,64,66,68,70,72,74,76,78,80],{"date":5,"value":54},{"date":17,"value":55},{"date":19,"value":63},404.38,{"date":22,"value":65},381.25,{"date":25,"value":67},371.52,{"date":28,"value":69},373.01,{"date":31,"value":71},366.63,{"date":34,"value":73},349.17,{"date":37,"value":75},356.81,{"date":40,"value":77},316.73,{"date":43,"value":79},253.98,{"date":46,"value":81},220.12,{"publishedDate":5,"updateFrequency":6,"updateFrequencyText":7,"label":83,"today":84,"last":85,"percentageChange":86,"yearToDate":87,"yearOnYear":88,"oneYearIndexTrend":89,"url":48,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"Lithium Hydroxide",358.35,350.28,2.3,76.32,168.94,[90,91,92,94,96,98,100,102,104,106,108,110],{"date":5,"value":84},{"date":17,"value":85},{"date":19,"value":93},328.09,{"date":22,"value":95},316.95,{"date":25,"value":97},311.86,{"date":28,"value":99},321.41,{"date":31,"value":101},319.14,{"date":34,"value":103},295.42,{"date":37,"value":105},310,{"date":40,"value":107},270.4,{"date":43,"value":109},203.24,{"date":46,"value":111},177.17,{"publishedDate":19,"updateFrequency":113,"updateFrequencyText":114,"label":115,"today":116,"last":117,"percentageChange":118,"yearToDate":119,"yearOnYear":120,"oneYearIndexTrend":121,"url":147,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"1wk","Updated every week","Cobalt",244.61,252.61,-3.17,3.99,97.72,[122,123,124,127,129,132,133,136,138,141,143,146],{"date":19,"value":116},{"date":25,"value":117},{"date":125,"value":126},"2026-03-25",252.45,{"date":28,"value":128},252.84,{"date":130,"value":131},"2026-03-11",253.48,{"date":31,"value":126},{"date":134,"value":135},"2026-02-25",256.64,{"date":34,"value":137},255.58,{"date":139,"value":140},"2026-02-11",253.31,{"date":37,"value":142},252.26,{"date":144,"value":145},"2026-01-28",241.15,{"date":40,"value":145},"/cobalt/prices",{"publishedDate":149,"updateFrequency":6,"updateFrequencyText":7,"label":150,"today":151,"last":152,"percentageChange":153,"yearToDate":154,"yearOnYear":155,"oneYearIndexTrend":156,"url":185,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"2026-05-20","Nickel",135.83,133.05,2.09,12.5,30.68,[157,158,160,163,166,168,170,172,174,176,179,182],{"date":149,"value":151},{"date":159,"value":152},"2026-05-06",{"date":161,"value":162},"2026-04-22",125.43,{"date":164,"value":165},"2026-04-08",124.51,{"date":125,"value":167},123.94,{"date":130,"value":169},123.51,{"date":134,"value":171},122.7,{"date":139,"value":173},123.79,{"date":144,"value":175},128.07,{"date":177,"value":178},"2026-01-14",120.74,{"date":180,"value":181},"2025-12-31",104.29,{"date":183,"value":184},"2025-12-17",103.44,"/nickel/prices",{"publishedDate":187,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":189,"today":190,"last":191,"percentageChange":192,"yearToDate":193,"yearOnYear":194,"oneYearIndexTrend":195,"url":227,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"2026-04-30","monthly","Natural Graphite",82.93,82.39,0.66,1.66,-0.87,[196,197,199,202,205,207,210,212,215,218,221,224],{"date":187,"value":190},{"date":198,"value":191},"2026-03-31",{"date":200,"value":201},"2026-02-27",81.92,{"date":203,"value":204},"2026-01-30",81.69,{"date":180,"value":206},81.58,{"date":208,"value":209},"2025-11-28",81.35,{"date":211,"value":209},"2025-10-31",{"date":213,"value":214},"2025-09-30",81.74,{"date":216,"value":217},"2025-08-29",81.56,{"date":219,"value":220},"2025-07-31",82.47,{"date":222,"value":223},"2025-06-30",83.13,{"date":225,"value":226},"2025-05-30",83.77,"/natural-graphite/prices",{"publishedDate":187,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":229,"today":230,"last":231,"percentageChange":232,"yearToDate":233,"yearOnYear":234,"oneYearIndexTrend":235,"url":258,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"Anode Coke",84.01,79.79,5.29,12.86,12.75,[236,237,238,240,242,244,246,248,250,252,254,256],{"date":187,"value":230},{"date":198,"value":231},{"date":200,"value":239},75.72,{"date":203,"value":241},74.61,{"date":180,"value":243},74.44,{"date":208,"value":245},76,{"date":211,"value":247},72.75,{"date":213,"value":249},71.92,{"date":216,"value":251},71.46,{"date":219,"value":253},70.35,{"date":222,"value":255},67.35,{"date":225,"value":257},65.78,"/synthetic-graphite/prices",{"publishedDate":260,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":261,"today":262,"last":263,"percentageChange":264,"yearToDate":265,"yearOnYear":265,"oneYearIndexTrend":266,"url":295,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"2025-11-17","Anode",77.79,77.96,-0.22,-1.93,[267,268,270,272,274,277,280,282,284,287,290,292],{"date":260,"value":262},{"date":269,"value":263},"2025-10-15",{"date":271,"value":263},"2025-09-15",{"date":273,"value":263},"2025-08-15",{"date":275,"value":276},"2025-07-15",77.93,{"date":278,"value":279},"2025-06-16",78.88,{"date":281,"value":279},"2025-05-15",{"date":283,"value":279},"2025-04-15",{"date":285,"value":286},"2025-03-17",79.89,{"date":288,"value":289},"2025-02-17",78.97,{"date":291,"value":289},"2025-01-15",{"date":293,"value":294},"2024-12-16",79.32,"/anode/prices",{"publishedDate":297,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":298,"today":299,"last":300,"percentageChange":301,"yearToDate":301,"yearOnYear":302,"oneYearIndexTrend":303,"url":327,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"2026-01-15","Cathode",72.79,64.08,13.59,43.38,[304,305,307,309,311,313,315,317,318,320,322,325],{"date":297,"value":299},{"date":306,"value":300},"2025-12-15",{"date":260,"value":308},62.01,{"date":269,"value":310},53.51,{"date":271,"value":312},49.5,{"date":273,"value":314},47.28,{"date":275,"value":316},46.05,{"date":278,"value":316},{"date":281,"value":319},48.08,{"date":283,"value":321},48.92,{"date":323,"value":324},"2025-03-18",52.79,{"date":288,"value":326},50.86,"/cathode/prices",{"publishedDate":329,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":330,"today":331,"last":332,"percentageChange":333,"yearToDate":334,"yearOnYear":335,"oneYearIndexTrend":336,"url":370,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"2025-03-31","Lithium ion Batteries",74.53,71.3,4.53,-1.6,-20.88,[337,338,340,343,346,349,352,355,358,361,364,367],{"date":329,"value":331},{"date":339,"value":332},"2025-02-28",{"date":341,"value":342},"2025-01-31",71.45,{"date":344,"value":345},"2024-12-31",75.74,{"date":347,"value":348},"2024-11-29",76.98,{"date":350,"value":351},"2024-10-31",77.34,{"date":353,"value":354},"2024-09-30",77.43,{"date":356,"value":357},"2024-08-30",80.56,{"date":359,"value":360},"2024-07-31",82.99,{"date":362,"value":363},"2024-06-28",87.2,{"date":365,"value":366},"2024-05-31",90.7,{"date":368,"value":369},"2024-04-30",93.2,"/battery-gigafactory/prices",{"publishedDate":372,"updateFrequency":6,"updateFrequencyText":7,"label":373,"today":374,"last":375,"percentageChange":376,"yearToDate":377,"yearOnYear":378,"oneYearIndexTrend":379,"url":411,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"2026-05-21","Black Mass",54.15,51.47,5.21,25.5,92.33,[380,381,383,386,389,392,395,398,401,404,406,408],{"date":372,"value":374},{"date":382,"value":375},"2026-05-07",{"date":384,"value":385},"2026-04-23",48.63,{"date":387,"value":388},"2026-04-09",48.6,{"date":390,"value":391},"2026-03-26",47.29,{"date":393,"value":394},"2026-03-12",46.18,{"date":396,"value":397},"2026-02-26",45.8,{"date":399,"value":400},"2026-02-12",47.34,{"date":402,"value":403},"2026-01-29",49.57,{"date":297,"value":405},43.15,{"date":180,"value":407},47.05,{"date":409,"value":410},"2025-12-18",41.51,"/recycling/black-mass-prices",{"publishedDate":413,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":414,"today":415,"last":416,"percentageChange":417,"yearToDate":418,"yearOnYear":419,"oneYearIndexTrend":420,"url":449,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"2026-03-19","Rare Earths",172.27,182.38,-5.54,20.73,54.49,[421,422,424,427,430,432,435,437,440,443,445,447],{"date":413,"value":415},{"date":423,"value":416},"2026-03-05",{"date":425,"value":426},"2026-02-19",179.86,{"date":428,"value":429},"2026-02-05",155.4,{"date":431,"value":429},"2026-01-22",{"date":433,"value":434},"2026-01-08",145.37,{"date":46,"value":436},142.69,{"date":438,"value":439},"2025-12-11",141.67,{"date":441,"value":442},"2025-11-27",136.29,{"date":211,"value":444},132.15,{"date":213,"value":446},139.82,{"date":216,"value":448},145.27,"/rare-earths/prices",{"publishedDate":213,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":451,"today":452,"last":453,"percentageChange":454,"yearToDate":455,"yearOnYear":456,"oneYearIndexTrend":457,"url":370,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"LFP",111.93,124.92,-10.4,-2.67,-3.42,[458,459,460,462,464,466,469,471,473,475,477,479],{"date":213,"value":452},{"date":216,"value":453},{"date":219,"value":461},109.9,{"date":222,"value":463},100.47,{"date":225,"value":465},103.62,{"date":467,"value":468},"2025-04-30",109.47,{"date":329,"value":470},115.87,{"date":339,"value":472},117.3,{"date":341,"value":474},114.57,{"date":344,"value":476},115,{"date":347,"value":478},117.82,{"date":350,"value":480},111.9,{"publishedDate":213,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":482,"today":483,"last":484,"percentageChange":485,"yearToDate":486,"yearOnYear":487,"oneYearIndexTrend":488,"url":370,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"NCM High-Nickel",99.44,96.91,2.61,2.37,-3.84,[489,490,491,493,495,497,499,501,503,505,506,508],{"date":213,"value":483},{"date":216,"value":484},{"date":219,"value":492},97.09,{"date":222,"value":494},94.93,{"date":225,"value":496},97.13,{"date":467,"value":498},97.89,{"date":329,"value":500},101.4,{"date":339,"value":502},93.25,{"date":341,"value":504},98.94,{"date":344,"value":496},{"date":347,"value":507},98.69,{"date":350,"value":509},101.87,{"publishedDate":213,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":511,"today":512,"last":513,"percentageChange":514,"yearToDate":515,"yearOnYear":516,"oneYearIndexTrend":517,"url":370,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"NCM Mid-Nickel",103.5,99.73,3.78,13.78,6.78,[518,519,520,522,524,526,528,530,532,534,536,538],{"date":213,"value":512},{"date":216,"value":513},{"date":219,"value":521},99.19,{"date":222,"value":523},96.02,{"date":225,"value":525},98.23,{"date":467,"value":527},99.24,{"date":329,"value":529},101.29,{"date":339,"value":531},87.61,{"date":341,"value":533},92.44,{"date":344,"value":535},90.96,{"date":347,"value":537},92.24,{"date":350,"value":539},95.09,{"id":541,"uuid":542,"name":543,"slug":544,"full_slug":545,"content":546,"relatedArticles":750,"relatedVideos":751},112472018561965,"8cdb61ff-37d6-41be-9198-d447765485c2","Manganese demand rising as alternative cathode chemistries gain popularity","manganese-demand-rising-as-alternative-cathode-chemistries-gain-popularity","article/manganese-demand-rising-as-alternative-cathode-chemistries-gain-popularity",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"tags":549,"editor":556,"content":566,"excerpt":724,"featured":51,"reporter":725,"_editable":729,"component":730,"seo_title":543,"categories":731,"visibility":743,"author_company":49,"featured_image":744,"seo_description":724,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":748,"formattedArticleDate":749},"234bf4fa-bf9e-461e-aba5-87a442da48e9","2023-01-06 00:00",[550,553],{"slug":551,"name":552},"data-visualisation","Data Visualisation",{"slug":554,"name":555},"lmfp","LMFP",[557],{"slug":558,"name":559,"content":560},"matthew-bird","Matthew Bird",{"job_title":561,"image":562,"bio":564,"linkedin":565},"Senior Editor - Supply Chains & Data Visualisation",{"filename":563},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/14738033ec/matthew-bird.jpeg","Matthew writes, edits and produces content for Benchmark Intelligence and Benchmark Source across the whole mine to grid supply chain. He also acts as a liaison to the press. He has a PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Nottingham.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmatthew/",{"type":567,"content":568},"doc",[569,576,581,586,591,606,613,618,623,628,633,642,647,652,659,664,669,682,687,708,719],{"type":570,"attrs":571,"content":572},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[573],{"text":574,"type":575},"Manganese demand from batteries is set to increase almost five-fold over the next ten years, as forecast by Benchmark.","text",{"type":570,"attrs":577,"content":578},{"textAlign":49},[579],{"text":580,"type":575},"Lithium nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) cathode chemistries have dominated the demand for manganese over the past few years, but this is expected to change moving into the next decade.",{"type":570,"attrs":582,"content":583},{"textAlign":49},[584],{"text":585,"type":575},"Alternative cathode chemistries, such as lithium manganese nickel oxide (LMNO), lithium iron manganese phosphate (LMFP), or nickel manganese-based cathodes (NMX) with similar structures to NCM are increasing in popularity as end-users look to cut cobalt out of their supply chains.",{"type":570,"attrs":587,"content":588},{"textAlign":49},[589],{"text":590,"type":575},"“The key driver for battery innovation has always been a combination of performance improvement counterbalanced with the reduction of reliance on scarce and costly minerals,” Evan Hartley, an analyst at Benchmark, said. “Many cathode and cell producers are now investing in the development of manganese-rich cathode.”",{"type":570,"attrs":592,"content":593},{"textAlign":49},[594,596,604],{"text":595,"type":575},"To meet the rising demand for manganese for battery applications requires high-purity manganese sulphate or metal. Most of this is produced in China, but there are an ",{"text":597,"type":575,"marks":598},"increasing number of projects in development around the world",[599],{"type":600,"attrs":601},"link",{"href":602,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":603},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/why-manganese-could-be-the-next-battery-supply-chain-headache","url",{"text":605,"type":575},", especially in Europe and North America.",{"type":607,"attrs":608,"content":610},"heading",{"level":609,"textAlign":49},4,[611],{"text":612,"type":575},"Changing cathode chemistries",{"type":570,"attrs":614,"content":615},{"textAlign":49},[616],{"text":617,"type":575},"NCM cathodes are a popular choice for high-end electric vehicles. They have a higher energy density than lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes, enabling the longer ranges demanded by their end users.",{"type":570,"attrs":619,"content":620},{"textAlign":49},[621],{"text":622,"type":575},"“NCM is mostly driving the [manganese] market at the moment,” Anna Fleming, a consultant at Benchmark said.",{"type":570,"attrs":624,"content":625},{"textAlign":49},[626],{"text":627,"type":575},"In 2022, NCM cathodes accounted for a third of cathode demand, but 90% of manganese demand. The bulk of NCM cathodes were NCM523 and NCM622, where the numbers correspond to the approximate proportions of the constituent minerals in the cathode.",{"type":570,"attrs":629,"content":630},{"textAlign":49},[631],{"text":632,"type":575},"In 2032, the proportion of cathode demand assigned to NCM cathodes is forecast by Benchmark to be relatively unchanged at 35%. However, the vast majority of it will be for the high-nickel NCM811 form, which has a third less manganese than NCM523.",{"type":570,"attrs":634,"content":635},{"textAlign":49},[636],{"type":637,"attrs":638},"image",{"id":49,"alt":639,"src":640,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":641},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/9e5a802d42/bm-ncm811-on-the-rise.png",{},{"type":570,"attrs":643,"content":644},{"textAlign":49},[645],{"text":646,"type":575},"This leads to NCM cathodes dropping to 60% of manganese demand that year.",{"type":570,"attrs":648,"content":649},{"textAlign":49},[650],{"text":651,"type":575},"Despite accounting for only 3% of 2032 overall cathode demand, LMNO will make up most of the remaining demand for manganese in 2032. This cathode material has up to ten times the manganese content of NCM811, but is still yet to be proven at a large scale.",{"type":570,"attrs":653,"content":654},{"textAlign":49},[655],{"type":637,"attrs":656},{"id":49,"alt":639,"src":657,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":658},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/5284c2de88/bm-manganese-demand-on-the-rise.png",{},{"type":607,"attrs":660,"content":661},{"level":609,"textAlign":49},[662],{"text":663,"type":575},"New developments",{"type":570,"attrs":665,"content":666},{"textAlign":49},[667],{"text":668,"type":575},"Beyond NCM and LMNO, new cathode developments are also focusing on manganese.",{"type":570,"attrs":670,"content":671},{"textAlign":49},[672,674,680],{"text":673,"type":575},"Chinese cathode majors Dynanonic and Ronbay are both producing, or ",{"text":675,"type":575,"marks":676},"building capacity to produce, LMFP",[677],{"type":600,"attrs":678},{"href":679,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":603},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/lmfp-cathodes-advance-as-chinese-producers-test-material-with-automakers",{"text":681,"type":575},"–a new form of LFP with manganese added to improve its capacity. In September 2022, Dynanonic said it believed LMFP would replace LFP in automotive applications.",{"type":570,"attrs":683,"content":684},{"textAlign":49},[685],{"text":686,"type":575},"CATL, the world’s largest battery maker and Tesla supplier, announced a new battery chemistry called M3P in July 2022. This material is based on LFP with added manganese alongside other metals.",{"type":570,"attrs":688,"content":689},{"textAlign":49},[690,692,698,700,706],{"text":691,"type":575},"Beyond LFP-based materials, BASF, a ",{"text":693,"type":575,"marks":694},"German chemicals and cathode producer",[695],{"type":600,"attrs":696},{"href":697,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":603},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/clean-energy-lures-gm-posco-and-basf-cathode-projects-to-quebec",{"text":699,"type":575},", is licensed to produce a manganese-rich, cobalt-free form of NCM developed by the ",{"text":701,"type":575,"marks":702},"US’s Argonne National Laboratory",[703],{"type":600,"attrs":704},{"href":705,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":603},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/basf-umicore-patent-agreement-shows-importance-of-ip-in-cathode-industry",{"text":707,"type":575},".",{"type":570,"attrs":709,"content":710},{"textAlign":49},[711,717],{"text":712,"type":575,"marks":713},"SVolt",[714],{"type":600,"attrs":715},{"href":716,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":603},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/indias-exide-moves-ahead-with-svolt-backed-gigafactory-plan",{"text":718,"type":575},", a Chinese battery maker, has also pursued high-manganese battery cathodes for the last few years. In 2021, the company partnered with BASF for cathode material development.",{"type":570,"attrs":720,"content":721},{"textAlign":49},[722],{"text":723,"type":575},"“The increasing number of LMFP cathode production lines in China, and the global push towards research for manganese-rich, cobalt-free NCM cells, are indicators of manganese’s rising importance in the supply chain,” Hartley said.","Manganese demand from batteries is set to increase almost five-fold over the next ten years, as forecast by Benchmark. Lithium nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) cathode chemistries have dominated the demand for manganese over the past few years, but this is expected to change moving into the next decade. Alternative cathode chemistries, such as lithium manganese […]",[726],{"slug":558,"name":559,"content":727},{"job_title":561,"image":728,"bio":564,"linkedin":565},{"filename":563},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"234bf4fa-bf9e-461e-aba5-87a442da48e9\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[732,735,737,740],{"slug":733,"name":734},"batteries","Batteries",{"slug":736,"name":298},"cathode",{"slug":738,"name":739},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals",{"slug":741,"name":742},"manganese","Manganese","private",{"id":49,"alt":639,"name":639,"focus":639,"title":639,"source":639,"filename":745,"copyright":639,"fieldtype":746,"meta_data":747,"is_external_url":51},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/846e54be92/bm-basf-cathode-active-material.jpg","asset",{"alt":639,"title":639,"source":639,"copyright":639},"Jan 06, 2023","6th January 2023",[],[],1780500973661]