In order to clarify the supply and demand situation of cobalt resources in China, material flow was used to analyze the changes in the flow, stock and supply and demand pattern of cobalt resources in China during 2000—2020. This article shows that 1) the import volume of cobalt ore to China was increasing year by year and the degree of external dependence was high, i.e., more than 70% yearly, and refined cobalt production and net exports increased year by year, reaching 85000 t and 14000 t, respectively in 2020; 2) the production of cobalt products was increasing from 100 t in 2000 to 63000 t in 2020, and batteries were the main cobalt products; in the trade phase, cobalt products showed a net export of 17000 t in 2020; 3) the stock of cobalt products in use continued to rise, reaching 125000 t in 2020. On the other hand, the overall recovery rate of cobalt products has been low, and improvement in recycling is the primary way to cope with the expansion of cobalt demand. At the same time, the article suggests improving the technical level, reducing the waste during processing process, reducing the dependence of cobalt resources, and doing an excellent job in resource reserve to adapt to the change of the international situation.

cobalt  /  dynamic mass flow  /  supply and demand  /  whole life cycle