Each ton of lithium is processed to release 15 tons of carbon dioxide. Is there a low-carbon lithium development technology?

According to the BBC report, lithium is the key to the transition to renewable energy, but mining lithium has caused a huge cost to the environment. In recent years, as automakers turn to electric vehicles, many countries including the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Norway, and Canada have announced the phase-out of diesel locomotives, and demand for lithium has surged. According to data from the World Bank, to achieve the global climate goal by 2050, it will be five times more lithium than currently mined. Source of this article: WeChat Official Account International Energy Small Data But there is a problem here. Obtaining lithium with conventional methods has its own environmental costs, or more precisely, three costs: carbon emissions, water and land. Lithium is currently mainly derived from hard rock mines, such as hard rock mines in Australia, or underground brine reservoirs under the surface of dried-up lake beds, mainly in Chile and Argentina. Hard rock mining—mining minerals from open-pit mines and then using fossil fuels for refining—will scar the landscape, require a lot of water, and release 15 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of lithium processed. Another traditional option is to extract lithium from underground reservoirs. This method relies on more water to extract lithium, which occurs in typical water-scarce areas in the world, causing indigenous communities to lose sustainability. Therefore, the world's demand for lithium, which has a lower environmental footprint, is rising. Alex Keynes, the clean vehicle manager of the Brussels-based sports organization 'Transport and EnvironmentIt is beginning to consider the impact of its electric vehicle supply chain on the environment and society. Keynes said that instead of mining more lithium, it is preferable to use recycled lithium batteries and electronic products. Keynes said: 'Considering the huge demand we may see in the next few years, it means that we need some mining. The recovery of lithium from geothermal brine looks very promising.' Extracting lithium from geothermal water has little impact on the environment. , Including very low carbon emissions. Geothermal brine is a hot, concentrated brine solution that circulates in very hot rocks and is rich in elements such as lithium, boron, and potassium. In other words, the energy-intensive process of extracting lithium from solid rock is powered by naturally occurring geothermal energy. Germany and the United States are also studying geothermal mining. The area surrounding the Salton Sea (a shallow lake in central California and the second largest geothermal field in the United States) is called the 'Lithium Valley.' The California Energy Commission estimates that the geothermal field can supply 40% of the world's lithium demand. The California Energy Commission predicted in a research report published in March of this year that the annual supply of lithium carbonate in the region will exceed 600,000 tons, and that there may be 7.2 billion U.S. dollars per year, or about 12,000 U.S. dollars per ton. It is hoped that lithium extraction can not only provide a cleaner household lithium source for batteries, but also significantly improve the economics of renewable energy power generation from geothermal resources. At present, the power generation capacity of geothermal resources only accounts for 6% of California's, and the development cost is also high. In short, it will take several years to use zero-emission lithium batteries to power cars or other equipment. However, if zero-carbon lithium can be developed, it will become a good example of a mineral necessary for sustainable energy. Disclaimer: Some pictures and content of articles published on this site are from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact to delete. Previous article: Who did the Ningde Times order?