Lithium is mined in "hard rock" in Australia, which is similar to mining coal, it's in HARD ROCK.
A majority of lithium mines are done in Brine, where Evaporative ponds (yeah, these are environmentally HORRIBLE) hold the Brine for 18-24 months for the water to evaporate, and the yellow sediment is then gathered and smelted to retrieve the Lithium Carbonate. These are primarily Chinese owned companies, and are frequently found in South America.
However, companies (such as American Battery Metals) are working on a chemically closed system, that can retrieve Lithium from Brine and Clay, in as little as 4 hours, that re-cycle and re-use the reagents, will reclaim Lithium from the clay reserves in Northern Nevada (in cooperation with the DoE, DuPont and American Lithium) in which lithium rich clay is taken in; battery grade lithium is retrieved, and clay is returned - using a NON-THERMAL process.
Just because something is done environmentally stupid today; does not mean that a more cost effective, profitable and environmentally sustainable process is coming. At one time, Gold was mined by blasting water and eroding the sides of mountains. Today, Gold and other ores are mined in much more environmentally friendly methods.
Brine is toxic. It’s heavier than water, very base and is found below the water table. Allowing it to evaporate allows for leakage and contamination of ground water and literally killing land that is surrounding the area
Wouldn’t it be better to pump it up from the deepest part of the Brine pool; process it to remove marketable products (Sodash, Potash, Lithium Carbonate, Magnesium, Graphitr, etc) and then pump it back down into a shallow area of the Brine Pool? Just go over a mile or two, and pump it back down? That’s one of the goals that is being promoted
Lithium is highly reactive. Unlike copper or iron, it is not found in a pure ore. Australia is the largest hard rock mine in the world; with perhaps the bulk being recovered from Brine.
It can all be done cleaner, faster and cheaper. Like everything else it takes time money
You do realize that there is a "gold rush" to reclaim the spent lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese in those lithium batteries, right?
LiCycle, American Battery Metals, Redwood Materials, and others are gathering BILLIONS and will be coming online in the next year or two - because this is not just profitable - it's required for the exploding Lithium battery market.
You can stand by and watch the industry change; or you can do some due diligence and invest your money, and retire comfortably.
The electric car is not "there" yet. It's still too primitive and not efficient or reliable to ditch combustion engine cars.
On Top Gear, they're always running out of electricity in inconvenient places and recharging takes forever. Your life will become a nightmare and obsession of recharging your car.
Sounds like some new-fangled I.C.E. age. I'm all for it, being a 17 yr. master mechanic aaaaand some knowledge of big holes and pollution of increased surface area and leeching. NOW YOU KNOW WHERE THE CARBON CREDIT GOES!!!
Ever driven through the plains of West TX, Oklahoma, New Mexico, etc? Fields of oil pumps, terrible horrible no-good oil pumps and gas tanks almost everywhere you look.
Surrounded by cactus and rabbits and deer and all that wildlife just going about its business without a care in the world.
I keep arguing this point with progressives but there's something wrong with their heads that they can't see out of what they beng told on the squawk box.
I know none of you will bother to read this however another very efficient power plant solves two problems yet no one suggests this in the current culture. Garbage to power, we need more of these plants built to help with the amount of waste. It’s a start ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/waste-to-energy-plant
I've been looking into vaporization of gasoline and even used oil, for a MUCH more efficient ignition.. The 100mpg is no myth. I'm certain there's new technology that makes it not only possible, but safer and easily replicable.
Makes for a nice fire break as well. I'll bet they were against that too.
Not really if you had even a slight breeze.
That is a Copper mine, not a Lithium Mine.
Lithium is mined in "hard rock" in Australia, which is similar to mining coal, it's in HARD ROCK.
A majority of lithium mines are done in Brine, where Evaporative ponds (yeah, these are environmentally HORRIBLE) hold the Brine for 18-24 months for the water to evaporate, and the yellow sediment is then gathered and smelted to retrieve the Lithium Carbonate. These are primarily Chinese owned companies, and are frequently found in South America.
However, companies (such as American Battery Metals) are working on a chemically closed system, that can retrieve Lithium from Brine and Clay, in as little as 4 hours, that re-cycle and re-use the reagents, will reclaim Lithium from the clay reserves in Northern Nevada (in cooperation with the DoE, DuPont and American Lithium) in which lithium rich clay is taken in; battery grade lithium is retrieved, and clay is returned - using a NON-THERMAL process.
Just because something is done environmentally stupid today; does not mean that a more cost effective, profitable and environmentally sustainable process is coming. At one time, Gold was mined by blasting water and eroding the sides of mountains. Today, Gold and other ores are mined in much more environmentally friendly methods.
Not many people know that, thanks!
They are done in regions where there is no environment to destroy, salt flats
Brine is toxic. It’s heavier than water, very base and is found below the water table. Allowing it to evaporate allows for leakage and contamination of ground water and literally killing land that is surrounding the area
Wouldn’t it be better to pump it up from the deepest part of the Brine pool; process it to remove marketable products (Sodash, Potash, Lithium Carbonate, Magnesium, Graphitr, etc) and then pump it back down into a shallow area of the Brine Pool? Just go over a mile or two, and pump it back down? That’s one of the goals that is being promoted
There is no ground water in salt flats.
I live just north of Salt Lake City, UT
Where do you think we get water for agriculture and the city? Yup, ground water down to about 75 feet. Much deeper than that you hit Brine
WA's South West is already home to the world's largest lithium mine:
https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/b55a7ed979f82553cadc1e65519fede3?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=1016&cropW=1524&xPos=0&yPos=0&width=862&height=575
http://www.lithiummine.com/lithium-mining-in-australia
Lithium is highly reactive. Unlike copper or iron, it is not found in a pure ore. Australia is the largest hard rock mine in the world; with perhaps the bulk being recovered from Brine.
It can all be done cleaner, faster and cheaper. Like everything else it takes time money
Yeah we need to in-their-face about the environmental damage of electric transportation, solar and wind.
More memes!
Not to.mention 100 years from now all the lithium batteries that will be ground waste.
And what will happen when there are accidents that rupture batteries.
Or the danger of all the nuke plants that will need to be built tonpower everything, or all the other option, coal plants.
Thats not even mentioning all the work that needs to be done to support the infrastructure needed for all the battery chargers.
Yeah, the problem is you cannot solve everything with nuclear because of peaks and lows in demand .....
However, it would have been much better if we would have thorium as an added bonus as this fits in the nuclear waste reduction strategy.
Then there are nano-diamond batteries made from nuclear waste and reducing further the amount and length of nuclear waste.
Then we should be able to smartly use decentralized power production and retention. There are several very interesting solutions.
You do realize that there is a "gold rush" to reclaim the spent lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese in those lithium batteries, right?
LiCycle, American Battery Metals, Redwood Materials, and others are gathering BILLIONS and will be coming online in the next year or two - because this is not just profitable - it's required for the exploding Lithium battery market.
You can stand by and watch the industry change; or you can do some due diligence and invest your money, and retire comfortably.
How do you suggest that one could invest in these companies or processes? Thank you fren
The electric car is not "there" yet. It's still too primitive and not efficient or reliable to ditch combustion engine cars.
On Top Gear, they're always running out of electricity in inconvenient places and recharging takes forever. Your life will become a nightmare and obsession of recharging your car.
Good to know Top Gear are exposing its weakness.
Lithium batteries will become a huge problem soon when they don’t hold a charge…
Sounds like some new-fangled I.C.E. age. I'm all for it, being a 17 yr. master mechanic aaaaand some knowledge of big holes and pollution of increased surface area and leeching. NOW YOU KNOW WHERE THE CARBON CREDIT GOES!!!
https://youtu.be/qtlPTE-UmY4
Those pits fill with water, toxins leech into the water and kill birds
Ever driven through the plains of West TX, Oklahoma, New Mexico, etc? Fields of oil pumps, terrible horrible no-good oil pumps and gas tanks almost everywhere you look.
Surrounded by cactus and rabbits and deer and all that wildlife just going about its business without a care in the world.
I keep arguing this point with progressives but there's something wrong with their heads that they can't see out of what they beng told on the squawk box.
Is it a lack of soul??
Lithium is primarily mined by having a pipeline of brine...
Yeah it's in salt water. They don't mine it, they basically "desalinate" it like salt from ocean.
I know none of you will bother to read this however another very efficient power plant solves two problems yet no one suggests this in the current culture. Garbage to power, we need more of these plants built to help with the amount of waste. It’s a start ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/waste-to-energy-plant
Pipeline? I don't see a pipeline. I just see grass and a lot of trees.
Lithium has doubled in price this year. Dave, X22.
Also, the Austin Mini was getting 50 miles per gallon in 1959.
Jusayin. ~{°¡°}~
I've been looking into vaporization of gasoline and even used oil, for a MUCH more efficient ignition.. The 100mpg is no myth. I'm certain there's new technology that makes it not only possible, but safer and easily replicable.
Supersonic transducers...?