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Effects of Mining Lithium
Even though you will not be individually mining the lithium used in your batteries, you should still be aware of the environmental concerns of this process. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a study on the materials and production of a lithium-ion battery. The study concluded that mining these chemicals can cause the following:
https://u.osu.edu/2367group3/environmental-concerns/effects-of-mining-lithium/
Lithium (Li) is the lightest metal on Earth and is used in batteries to power various electrical and electronic goods including mobile phones and electric cars. As demand for lithium rises, the mining impacts are increasingly affecting communities where this harmful extraction takes place, jeopardising their access to water. Current levels of lithium collection in the EU are very low. In the case of batteries, this amounts to an estimated 5% of the lithium-ion batteries put on the European market. Most of the current lithium is either dumped in landfill or incinerated, contributing to Europe’s dependency on lithium supply. Unless the EU introduces mandatory collection and recycling targets for metals such as lithium, the current wasteful practices will continue, contributing to far-reaching negative environmental and social impacts. Demand for lithium is rising Lithium converts chemical energy into electrical energy very efficiently.1 Analysts project that rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion)2 batteries have the highest potential for future energy storage systems.3 Lithium is therefore in high demand, especially to power personal electronic goods like mobile phones, energy storage systems and (hybrid) electric vehicles.4 Accessible, high-quality lithium is largely concentrated in a few Andean countries, primarily Bolivia and Chile (although Bolivia is not yet exporting its lithium resources on an industrial scale).
Certain analysts believe that demand for lithium is likely to rise dramatically, due to the manufacturing and marketing of new electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops.6 Demand has already risen sharply: lithium use in rechargeable batteries increased from 0% of the market share in 1991 to 80% in 2007. The European Commission has stated that the tonnage of lithium used in portable batteries could increase ten-fold between 2010 and 2020.7 Another key factor will be the use of lithium in large electric vehicle batteries. Large, lightweight lithium-ion batteries for new electric vehicles8 are set to be launched by over a dozen automobile manufacturers, including Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen by the end of 2013.9 Toyota, Mitsubishi and others10 have expressed concerns that consumer demand may overtake supply by 2020. In January 2010, Toyota’s subsidiary company Toyota Tsusho and Australian lithium mining company Orocobre Ltd announced a joint venture to develop the Olaroz Argentine Lithium-Potash lithium mining project, to secure access to lithium deposits.11 As acknowledged by the European Commission: “[The] deployment of 'green' vehicles reduces the use of fossil fuels but increases the demand for electricity and certain raw materials, some of which are subject to supply restrictions and concentrated in a few geographical areas (e.g. rare earth elements for electronic components and fuel cells, lithium for batteries).” 12 Lithium mining impacts Lithium is found in the brine of salt flats. Holes are drilled into the salt flats and the brine is pumped to the surface, leaving it to evaporate in ponds. This allows lithium carbonate to be extracted through a chemical process. The extraction of lithium has significant environmental and social impacts, especially due to water pollution and depletion. In addition, toxic chemicals are needed to process lithium. The release of such chemicals through leaching, spills or air emissions can harm communities, ecosystems and food production. Moreover, lithium extraction inevitably harms the soil and also causes air contamination.13 The salt flats where lithium is found are located in arid territories. In these places, access to water is key for the local communities and their livelihoods, as well as the local flora and fauna. In Chile’s Atacama salt flats, mining consumes, contaminates and diverts scarce water resources away from local communities.14 The extraction of lithium has caused water-related conflicts with different communities, such as the community of Toconao in the north of Chile15. In Argentina’s Salar de Hombre Muerto, local communities claim that lithium operations have contaminated streams used for humans, livestock and crop irrigation.16 There has been widespread speculation about whether Bolivia could become a lithium superpower, possibly overtaking Chile, by unlocking its massive resources, which may exceed 100m tonnes in its salt flats.17 Lithium exploration and investment is also taking place outside the Andean region. The American Nova mining corporation, for example, is moving ahead with the purchase of licensing agreements for lithium mining properties in Mongolia, in response to the current boom in sales of electronic goods.18 Bolivia has, so far, resisted large-scale industrial mining of lithium, although it has plans to build a pilot project as a precursor to the possible development of a lithium mining industry in the future.19 However, the lithium-rich Salar de Uyuni is near to the San Cristóbal Mine, which, since it opened in 2007, has caused an “environmental and social disaster that affects all of Southwest Potosí” including through the use of 50,000 litres of water per day.20
https://www.foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/publications/13_factsheet-lithium-gb.pdf
Effects of Mining Lithium
Even though you will not be individually mining the lithium used in your batteries, you should still be aware of the environmental concerns of this process. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a study on the materials and production of a lithium-ion battery. The study concluded that mining these chemicals can cause the following:
- resource depletion
- global warming
- ecological toxicity (Kaiser, 2013)
https://u.osu.edu/2367group3/environmental-concerns/effects-of-mining-lithium/
Lithium (Li) is the lightest metal on Earth and is used in batteries to power various electrical and electronic goods including mobile phones and electric cars. As demand for lithium rises, the mining impacts are increasingly affecting communities where this harmful extraction takes place, jeopardising their access to water. Current levels of lithium collection in the EU are very low. In the case of batteries, this amounts to an estimated 5% of the lithium-ion batteries put on the European market. Most of the current lithium is either dumped in landfill or incinerated, contributing to Europe’s dependency on lithium supply. Unless the EU introduces mandatory collection and recycling targets for metals such as lithium, the current wasteful practices will continue, contributing to far-reaching negative environmental and social impacts. Demand for lithium is rising Lithium converts chemical energy into electrical energy very efficiently.1 Analysts project that rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion)2 batteries have the highest potential for future energy storage systems.3 Lithium is therefore in high demand, especially to power personal electronic goods like mobile phones, energy storage systems and (hybrid) electric vehicles.4 Accessible, high-quality lithium is largely concentrated in a few Andean countries, primarily Bolivia and Chile (although Bolivia is not yet exporting its lithium resources on an industrial scale).
Certain analysts believe that demand for lithium is likely to rise dramatically, due to the manufacturing and marketing of new electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops.6 Demand has already risen sharply: lithium use in rechargeable batteries increased from 0% of the market share in 1991 to 80% in 2007. The European Commission has stated that the tonnage of lithium used in portable batteries could increase ten-fold between 2010 and 2020.7 Another key factor will be the use of lithium in large electric vehicle batteries. Large, lightweight lithium-ion batteries for new electric vehicles8 are set to be launched by over a dozen automobile manufacturers, including Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen by the end of 2013.9 Toyota, Mitsubishi and others10 have expressed concerns that consumer demand may overtake supply by 2020. In January 2010, Toyota’s subsidiary company Toyota Tsusho and Australian lithium mining company Orocobre Ltd announced a joint venture to develop the Olaroz Argentine Lithium-Potash lithium mining project, to secure access to lithium deposits.11 As acknowledged by the European Commission: “[The] deployment of 'green' vehicles reduces the use of fossil fuels but increases the demand for electricity and certain raw materials, some of which are subject to supply restrictions and concentrated in a few geographical areas (e.g. rare earth elements for electronic components and fuel cells, lithium for batteries).” 12 Lithium mining impacts Lithium is found in the brine of salt flats. Holes are drilled into the salt flats and the brine is pumped to the surface, leaving it to evaporate in ponds. This allows lithium carbonate to be extracted through a chemical process. The extraction of lithium has significant environmental and social impacts, especially due to water pollution and depletion. In addition, toxic chemicals are needed to process lithium. The release of such chemicals through leaching, spills or air emissions can harm communities, ecosystems and food production. Moreover, lithium extraction inevitably harms the soil and also causes air contamination.13 The salt flats where lithium is found are located in arid territories. In these places, access to water is key for the local communities and their livelihoods, as well as the local flora and fauna. In Chile’s Atacama salt flats, mining consumes, contaminates and diverts scarce water resources away from local communities.14 The extraction of lithium has caused water-related conflicts with different communities, such as the community of Toconao in the north of Chile15. In Argentina’s Salar de Hombre Muerto, local communities claim that lithium operations have contaminated streams used for humans, livestock and crop irrigation.16 There has been widespread speculation about whether Bolivia could become a lithium superpower, possibly overtaking Chile, by unlocking its massive resources, which may exceed 100m tonnes in its salt flats.17 Lithium exploration and investment is also taking place outside the Andean region. The American Nova mining corporation, for example, is moving ahead with the purchase of licensing agreements for lithium mining properties in Mongolia, in response to the current boom in sales of electronic goods.18 Bolivia has, so far, resisted large-scale industrial mining of lithium, although it has plans to build a pilot project as a precursor to the possible development of a lithium mining industry in the future.19 However, the lithium-rich Salar de Uyuni is near to the San Cristóbal Mine, which, since it opened in 2007, has caused an “environmental and social disaster that affects all of Southwest Potosí” including through the use of 50,000 litres of water per day.20
https://www.foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/publications/13_factsheet-lithium-gb.pdf
