The rock dug out of the ground in Australia has to be crushed and roasted to produce spodumene. This material, which contains about 6% lithium, is then shipped from Australia to China, which refines 60% of the world's lithium and 80% of the world's lithium hydroxide – though this may be changing. As part of an effort to diversify the supply chain, the Western Australian state government is working to build local refining facilities close to its own lithium mines.
