SQM is one of the world’s largest lithium companies. It produces lithium out of Chile’s Salar de Atacama and brings it to the market in the form of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. SQM is developing the hard-rock Mount Holland lithium project in Australia through a joint venture with Wesfarmers. The company places a heavy emphasis on the sustainability of its operations, with a production process that involves 97.4 percent solar energy.
SQM operates for more than 25 years in Chile, its lithium production increasingly focuses on the sustainability of extraction from the Salar de Atacama. Options being looked at include advanced evaporation technologies and direct lithium extraction.