Cobalt

Glencore is one of the world’s leading industrial producers and marketers of cobalt, a metal expected to become one of the most important raw materials in the transition towards a low-carbon economy due to its use in rechargeable batteries and renewable energy technologies.

We extract and process cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Australia, Canada, and Norway, mainly as a by-product of copper mining, but also as a by-product of nickel mining.

As a recycler of cobalt-containing materials, we are closing the loop of the circular value chain. With our activities, we help meet the growing demand for this important metal.

Today’s rechargeable batteries powering devices such as cameras, mobile phones, and laptops all rely on cobalt. Even small amounts of this metal help regulate a battery’s temperature. It makes them safer, last longer and store more power. 

And it’s these qualities that make cobalt so important in the much larger batteries of renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles.

Cobalt also finds applications in medical imaging technologies, and, as a superalloy, is used in aircraft engines and in hard metals used as sharp cutting edges or for drilling.

Cobalt is mainly produced as a by-product at assets that produce copper or nickel.