Is Lithium Sustainable?

‘’Is Lithium sustainable’’. This is a question that is asked a lot today, and the answer is far from straight forward. Lithium is widely used in a number of products today. With the demand for lithium increasing, many people are rightfully asking ‘’Is Lithium sustainable?’’. For manufacturers to obtain lithium, an extraction and mining process has to take place. This is where the line between lithium being sustainable and having a negative environmental impact is blurred. Today we delve deeper into lithium and the process of obtaining it to determine whether lithium, and lithium mining, is sustainable. WHAT IS LITHIUM? Lithium is an extremely soft metal that, in recent years, has been incorporated in a number of products we are heavily reliant on. More broadly, lithium is used in the manufacturing process of rechargeable batteries that are placed in mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and electric vehicles. It is also used in other products, such as our Lithium UPS range. In order for companies to obtain lithium to use in their products, it first has to be mined and extracted. There are a few naturally occurring sources of lithium, and mining companies tap into these sources to provide the lithium used by companies. It occurs in hard rock and, primarily, in mineral rich brine beneath the lakes of high altitude salt flats. Countries such as Bolivia, Argentina and Chile are instrumental in the production and availability of lithium, with each country having huge lithium resources. Mining companies will dig and pump this brine up to the surface where it is left in evaporation pools for many months. In the end, lithium carbonate is extracted: one of the main components in lithium-ion batteries. THE BOTTOM LINE: IS LITHIUM SUSTAINABLE? There is a lengthy debate to be had around lithium’s sustainability. Whilst anyone asking ‘’Is lithium mining sustainable?’’ may uncover alarming facts, it cannot be denied that lithium, and the products it is used in, do a lot of good. Take the example of electric cars, for example. For many people, electric cars signify both the future of the automotive industry as well as the reduction of harmful vehicle emissions. Quite simply, our excessive use of motor vehicles puts great strain on the environment and the planet. With the use of electric cars, we are able to heavily reduce the damage caused by vehicle use. Lithium is used to create the batteries for these cars, and thus is instrumental in the positive change brought about by electric vehicles. There are other uses for lithium batteries too. Take wind turbines, for example. In some cases, lithium batteries are used to power wind turbines. The existence of wind turbines provides us with a clean and sustainable way of generating electricity. Contrary to popular belief, electricity generation still creates a huge amount of emissions. The existence of wind turbines is therefore hugely important, and has an overwhelmingly positive impact on the environment. Thus, so do lithium batteries. IS LITHIUM MINING SUSTAINABLE? Although lithium is used in a number of products that do a tonne of good for the planet, it is the process of mining that has to take place which raises questions. And this is for a great number of reasons. Firstly, the extraction and mining of lithium uses an astonishing amount of water. Specifically, it is estimated that 500,000 gallons of water are needed to produce one tonne of lithium. The regions where lithium mining takes place are thus stripped of their water resources. If these regions experience water shortages, this can have disastrous and even deadly results. Animals are negatively impacted and so are indigenous populations. In addition to this, a community’s water supply is often contaminated as a result of the chemicals that are produced during the mining process. Large scale water pollution, as stated, can be disastrous for both the human population as well as ecosystems. This is not all. In some cases, the extraction of lithium from natural sources creates a huge amount of carbon emissions and demands that fertile land be destroyed. IS LITHIUM EXTRACTION ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY? – CRITICAL POWER At the start of this article, we proposed the question ‘’Is Lithium sustainable?’’. As you may now know from reading the article, the question presents a catch 22. Whilst lithium is used to create products that seek to eliminate harm to the environment, the mining and/ extraction process poses, arguably, a substantial environmental threat. So, is Lithium mining sustainable? Currently, no. But lithium has the potential to do a lot of good, and we hope that, with the increased demand, innovations will be made to make the process better for the environment.

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