About three-fourths of world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by [2023] - PMF IAS

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About three-fourths of world’s cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by

Argentina
Botswana
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kazakhstan

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, responsible for over 70% of global mine production.

Additional Information

Cobalt is an important ferromagnetic alloying metal having irreplaceable industrial applications.
It is extracted as a by-product of copper, nickel, zinc or precious metals. Superalloys made of cobalt are wear & corrosion-resistant at elevated temperatures. Cobalt reserves are mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (51%), followed by Australia (17%). Besides, major reserves are also located in Cuba (7%), the Philippines and Russia (4% each), and Canada (3%). In India, 69% of deposits are concentrated in Odisha and 31% in Jharkhand. Presently, there is no production of cobalt in the country from primary cobalt resources. The demand for cobalt is usually met through imports.

Answer: (c) The Democratic Republic of Congo; Difficulty Level: Medium