Can Cobalt Outshine Lithium?

[Marina Schwarz + 1,576]

Lithium is making an awful lot of headlines but quantity-wise, there's more cobalt in batteries. There's already talk about a major cobalt rally next year.

[Seleskya + 50]

I agree, but they're both great plays right now. Cobalt is tricky because it's harder to find a pure play miner, and most cobalt is only produced as a byproduct of other metals that aren't doing that well (copper, nickel). 

[Kate Turlington + 44]

One of the great things about cobalt is that the supply is hitting a major bottleneck because some 60% of it comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. That used to pass, but now there is a ton of pressure being put on buyers of what they call 'blood cobalt' because it's being mined by kids under inhumane conditions. Buyers need to find more supplies, somewhere else, so that makes for a really tight supply situation in the future and a great opening for new miners. 

[Adam Varga + 123]

Well we don't have to go to Congo to mine cobalt, because there's another way to get that metal,  by recycling faulty batteries. 

[Seleskya + 50]

Sorry Varga ... this isn't going to cut it for our cobalt demand. I agree that recycling will help some, but it will mostly benefit a wave of battery recyclers that are grabbing onto this opportunity. 

[Marina Schwarz + 1,576]

Recycling rates are embarrassing against the background of the consumption of recyclable materials. Let's make it mandatory!

@Kate TurlingtonThe DRC is turning into a hot spot -- there are anti-government protests there right now as well.