Albemarle

What Albemarle does

Albemarle Corporation is a specialty chemicals company and the world's largest lithium producer, supplying battery-grade lithium chemicals, bromine and bromine derivatives, and (until 2026) refinery catalysts to industrial customers globally. The company operates three business segments: Energy Storage (lithium products), Specialties (bromine and bromine chemicals), and previously Ketjen (catalysts — controlling stake divested in May 2026). Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and listed on the NYSE under ALB, Albemarle employs approximately 7,800 people across 34 locations on six continents, serving customers in approximately 70 countries.

The company's lithium operations span the full value chain: brine extraction via solar evaporation at the Salar de Atacama in Chile and at Silver Peak, Nevada (the only active lithium resource in the United States, in operation for over 50 years); hard-rock spodumene mining through a 49% interest in the Talison-operated Greenbushes mine in Western Australia (the world's largest hard-rock lithium operation, jointly owned with Tianqi Lithium at 51%, supplying over 20% of global lithium); and conversion facilities producing battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide in China (Qinzhou, acquired in 2021 for ~$200M) and the United States. The bromine segment is centered on the Magnolia, Arkansas facility (650+ employees, the largest corporate employer in Columbia County) which extracts bromine from Smackover Formation brine and produces over 30 products including flame retardants, biocides, water treatment chemicals, drilling fluids, and pharmaceutical intermediates. The company holds over 1,500 active patents globally.

Albemarle generates revenue through long-term direct enterprise supply agreements with major industrial customers — battery cell manufacturers, automotive OEMs, petroleum refiners, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and government/defense agencies (U.S. Navy, NASA). Pricing for battery-grade lithium is contract-based with embedded exposure to lithium commodity markets, while bromine and catalyst products are sold on recurring B2B terms. Recent strategic priorities have been the U.S. onshoring of lithium production (Kings Mountain mine reopening supported by a $90M Department of Defense grant), balance sheet repair ($1.3B in debt reduction in Q1 2026, net debt leverage from 3.5x to 1.0x EBITDA), and capital deployment toward lithium capacity expansion funded in part by a planned $1.75B convertible preferred stock offering.

Name

Albemarle

Legal name

Albemarle Corporation

Website

http://albemarle.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Albemarle Corporation is a specialty chemicals company and the world's largest lithium producer, supplying battery-grade lithium, bromine, and specialty chemicals to EV battery manufacturers, automotive OEMs, petroleum refiners, pharmaceutical companies, and defense customers across approximately 70 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals (Lithium, Bromine, Catalysts)

NAICS

Battery Manufacturing (33591)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction (IMAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Battery Raw Materials Mining & Refining (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Graphite) (EUAFABAA), Cathode Active Materials (CAM) Manufacturing (EUAFABAB), Battery-Grade Chemical Processing (LiOH/Li2CO3, Ni/Co Sulfates, Mn Sulfate) (IMAKAFAI)

Keywords

• Battery-grade lithium production
• Bromine specialty chemicals
• Lithium brine extraction
• Petroleum refinery catalysts
• Spodumene hard-rock processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lithium Products (Energy Storage): Battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide for electric vehicles, grid energy storage, and consumer electronics. This is Albemarle's largest and fastest-growing segment, serving the EV supply chain and energy storage markets.
2. Bromine and Bromine Derivatives: Bromine and brominated flame retardants, inorganic bromides, and liquid derivatives for flame safety, water treatment, biocides, pharmaceuticals, and oilfield applications. Manufactured primarily at Magnolia, AR facility from Smackover Formation brine.
3. Catalysts: Refinery catalysts for hydroprocessing, fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), and other petroleum refining applications. Supports clean fuel production and refinery efficiency.
4. Specialties Segment: Specialty chemicals serving various industrial applications including performance chemicals, polymer additives, and pharmaceutical intermediates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Albemarle is a specialty chemicals company that manufactures and sells battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, bromine and brominated derivatives, and petroleum refinery catalysts. Its lithium products are produced from brine resources (Salar de Atacama in Chile, Silver Peak in Nevada) and hard-rock spodumene (Greenbushes in Australia), serving electric vehicle battery manufacturers, automotive OEMs, energy storage developers, and pharmaceutical and electronics companies worldwide.

Product overview

Albemarle is a specialty chemicals company organized into three main business segments: Energy Storage (lithium and lithium compounds), Specialties (bromine and bromine chemicals), and Ketjen (catalysts - controlling stake sold in 2026). The company's portfolio includes lithium products from global brine operations (Salar de Atacama, Silver Peak) and hard-rock mining (Greenbushes joint venture), bromine extraction from Arkansas brine, and refinery catalysts. Key products include battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide for EVs and energy storage, brominated flame retardants, biocides, and hydroprocessing catalysts for petroleum refining.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lithium Products Battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide produced from brine operations in Chile and Argentina, and hard-rock mining in Australia. These products serve the electric vehicle, energy storage, and consumer electronics markets.
• Bromine and Bromine Chemicals Bromine-based fire safety products, inorganic bromides, biocides for water treatment, and bromine chemicals used in pharmaceuticals, drilling fluids, and agriculture. Produced from brine operations in Magnolia, Arkansas.
• Catalysts Refinery catalysts including hydroprocessing catalysts used in petroleum refining to produce cleaner fuels. Albemarle sold its controlling stake in Ketjen in 2026.
• Silver Peak Lithium Operations The only active lithium resource in the United States, located in Silver Peak, Nevada. Produces technical-grade lithium carbonate and special grades of lithium hydroxide using solar evaporation pond technology from brine. Approximately 60 employees.
• Magnolia Bromine Operations Two of the world's largest bromine and bromine chemical manufacturing plants in Magnolia, Arkansas, producing flame retardants, inorganic bromides, and products for agricultural use. 650+ employees.
• Kings Mountain Lithium Mine A proposed open pit lithium mine in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, holding over 1.2 million metric tons of lithium reserves in North Carolina's Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt. The mine was idled in the early 1990s and is being redeveloped with state and federal permit submissions and a $90M DoD grant.
• Greenbushes Lithium Mine (Joint Venture) A joint venture lithium mine in Western Australia operated through Talison Lithium. Albemarle holds 49% ownership while Tianqi Lithium holds 51%. The mine supplies over 20% of the world's lithium.

Quantifiable outcome

• Q1 2026 revenue $1.43B (+33% YoY), adjusted EBITDA $664M (+148% YoY)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Chilean GovernmentcoreOthers · 1 January 2026Chile government announced plans to accelerate mining permits including Albemarle's $3.1 billion lithium extraction project as part of a $100B investment pipeline. Albemarle is developing a major lithium project in Chile's Atacama region.
• U.S. Department of DefensecoreOthers · 1 January 2026$90 million grant to support reopening of Kings Mountain lithium mine in North Carolina and expand domestic lithium production. Funding used to purchase mining equipment with operations expected to begin late 2026, supporting EV manufacturing.
• Tianqi Lithium CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202449%/51% joint venture at the Greenbushes lithium mine in Western Australia through Talison Lithium. Tianqi holds 51% controlling stake while Albemarle holds 49%. Greenbushes is the world's largest hard-rock lithium operation, supplying over 20% of global lithium.
• Martin Marietta MaterialscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Innovative agreement for beneficial use of material from Kings Mountain Mine. Part of proceeds from agreement to support investment in local communities. Enables productive use of mining byproducts.
• Caterpillar Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration agreement for deployment of Cat battery-electric trucks and site energy transfer solutions at Albemarle mines, lithium offtake framework agreement, and research into battery technology. Supports sustainable mining operations.
• Guangxi Tianyuan New Energy Materials Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021Acquired for approximately $200 million. Tianyuan operates a lithium conversion plant near the Port of Qinzhou in Guangxi with capacity to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. Provides Albemarle with additional processing capacity in China.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile): SQM is one of the world's largest lithium producers, extracting lithium from brine at the Salar de Atacama in Chile — directly overlapping with Albemarle's Chilean brine operations. Both companies also produce specialty chemicals (iodine, potassium, and industrial chemicals), making SQM the closest publicly traded comparable on geography, product mix, and lithium chemistry focus.
• Ganfeng Lithium: Ganfeng is a Chinese integrated lithium producer with brine, hard-rock, and conversion operations producing battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide. Comparable to Albemarle's vertically integrated model and one of the largest global suppliers to Chinese battery and EV OEMs that Albemarle also serves via the Tianyuan facility.
• Tianqi Lithium: Tianqi is Albemarle's joint venture partner at Greenbushes (Tianqi holds 51%) and one of the world's largest lithium producers. It operates brine assets in China and downstream conversion capacity, making it both a partner and a direct competitor across multiple geographies.
• Arcadium Lithium (formerly Livent/Allkem): Arcadium Lithium, formed through the merger of Livent and Allkem, is a major global lithium chemicals producer with brine assets in Argentina, hard-rock assets in Australia, and conversion facilities globally. Direct overlap with Albemarle's lithium carbonate and hydroxide value chain across multiple geographies and customer segments.
• Pilbara Minerals: Pilbara Minerals is a leading Australian hard-rock lithium (spodumene) producer, comparable to Albemarle's Greenbushes JV exposure. Both serve the global battery-grade lithium supply chain from Australian spodumene feedstock and compete for downstream conversion partnerships.

Emerging players

• Piedmont Lithium: Piedmont Lithium is developing hard-rock lithium projects in North Carolina (closely co-located with Albemarle's Kings Mountain project) and is a smaller emerging competitor in domestic U.S. lithium production, partially overlapping with Albemarle's North American growth strategy.
• Albemarle peer: Sigma Lithium: Sigma Lithium is an emerging hard-rock lithium producer operating in Brazil, comparable to Albemarle's spodumene-based production. It is smaller and earlier-stage but represents a new entrant in the global battery-grade lithium supply chain that Albemarle supplies into.

Broad incumbents

• ICL Group: ICL Group is an Israel-based specialty minerals and chemicals company producing bromine (Dead Sea), potash, phosphate, and specialty chemicals. Comparable to Albemarle's bromine and specialty chemicals businesses as another diversified industrial minerals producer with bromine as a major product line.
• W. R. Grace & Co. W. R. Grace is a specialty chemicals company producing catalysts (FCC catalysts, polyolefin catalysts) and specialty materials, directly overlapping with Albemarle's catalysts business (Ketjen, partially divested in 2026). Both serve petroleum refining customers with similar catalyst technologies.
• Honeywell International: Honeywell's Performance Materials and Technologies segment includes catalyst technologies (UOP) for petroleum refining and petrochemicals, directly comparable to Albemarle's catalysts business. Honeywell is a much larger diversified industrial conglomerate but operates overlapping refining catalyst technology and customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/albemarlecorp
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• Facebookfacebook.com/albemarlecorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/albemarle
• Instagraminstagram.com/albemarlecorp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors3 records

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M&A2 records

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Albemarle