James Dacey reviews The Elements of Power: a Story of War, Technology and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth by Nicolas Niarchos

Unseen riches Miners extracting cobalt and copper at Ruashi mine in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Courtesy: Didier Bauweraerts/Reporters/Science Photo Library)"> Unseen riches Miners extracting cobalt and copper at Ruashi mine in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Courtesy: Didier Bauweraerts/Reporters/Science Photo Library)

In a book about batteries, you might not expect the author to be detained by Congolese secret police because he attempted to meet a rebel warlord whose militia has been linked with cannibalism. But that’s exactly what happened when journalist Nicolas Niarchos was doing research for The Elements of Power: a Story of War, Technology and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth.

In his debut book, Niarchos dives into the global supply chain of critical metals for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.…