{"id":50038662,"date":"2020-12-02T13:17:07","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T13:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.dialogochino.net\/?p=38662"},"modified":"2024-04-12T14:57:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T14:57:50","slug":"38662-explainer-the-opportunities-and-challenges-of-the-lithium-industry","status":"publish","type":"explainer","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/energy\/38662-explainer-the-opportunities-and-challenges-of-the-lithium-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Explainer: the opportunities and challenges of the lithium industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

How many portable electrical devices can you see right now?<\/p>\n

Phones, laptops, tablets, digital cameras and many other battery-powered devices are likely to be powered by lithium-ion batteries. Lithium has multiple other uses. It can also be used for grid storage, to manufacture heat-resistant glass and ceramics, industrial greases, and is even used in treatments for bipolar disorder and depression.<\/p>\n

But along with smartphones, perhaps the most monumental development that lithium has powered, since they first hit the market in the 1990s, is the boom in electric vehicles (EVs).<\/p>\n

This growth can be linked, in part, to China prioritising the manufacture of EVs in its 13th<\/sup> Five-Year Plan, launched in 2015. China now manufactures 10,000<\/a> EVs every month, all of which use lithium-ion batteries.<\/p>\n

Lithium is now so sought after that countries from Australia to China and South America are rushing to tap their resources. Yet it is also associated with environmental conflicts and international trade disputes.<\/p>\n

What makes lithium so special?<\/h2>\n

Lithium is part of the chemical group of alkali metals, which are so highly reactive that they are never found in their pure form in nature, only as compounds. Its reactivity is due to its electron configuration. Lithium has a single electron on its outer shell, known as a valence electron, which enables it to form a chemical bond when the shell is open. This means it can easily conduct heat and electrical currents.<\/p>\n

Lithium is also the lightest weight alkali metal, making it an ideal choice for use in portable devices. Lithium ions (electrically charged atoms) move from the negative to positive electrode when discharging and vice versa, enabling lithium batteries to recharge. Lithium-ion batteries can also provide three times the energy density of conventional rechargeable lead batteries.<\/p>\n

These unique properties have given lithium its moniker \u2018white gold\u2019.<\/p>\n

How is lithium mined?<\/h2>\n

Most of the world\u2019s lithium is extracted from a mineral-rich brine around ten metres beneath the briny lakes of high-altitude salt flats. The process begins by drilling down through the crust and then pumping the brine up to the surface into evaporation pools, where it is left for months at a time. This creates a salty mud comprised of a mixture of manganese, potassium, borax and lithium salts, which are then moved to another open-air evaporation pool.<\/p>\n

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\"Evaporation
Evaporation pools in Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. This process of lithium mining can last up to 18 months. (image: psyberartist<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

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After 12-18 months, the mixture is sufficiently distilled to extract the lithium carbonate, the main raw material used in lithium ion batteries.<\/p>\n

This method of extraction is commonly used in the so-called \u2018Lithium Triangle\u2019 that straddles Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. This method is favourable due to its low cost and effectiveness in extracting lithium carbonate. However, the process is extremely water intensive.<\/p>\n

Which countries are rich in lithium?<\/h2>\n

The Lithium Triangle possesses 47 million tonnes of lithium resources – around 65% of the global total, according to the US Geological Survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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