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Extracting lithium from lithium-rich clays first involves mining the clays themselves which results in lots of atmospheric pollution. There are several minerals within clay that contain lithium such as, lepidolite, hectorite, masutomilite, zinnwaldite, swinefordite, cookeite, and jadarite. [15]
Lithium mining at Salar del Hombre Muerto, Argentina. Lithium does not occur as the metal naturally since it is highly reactive, but is found combined in small amounts in rocks, soils, and bodies of water. [96] The extraction of lithium in rock form can be exposed to air, water, and soil. [97]
Australia accounted for 52% of global lithium production in 2021 and was the #1 lithium mining country in the world. Chile ranked #2 with its 24.5% share followed by China's 13.2% share.
The controversy of lithium mining comes from its need for water - mining one ton of lithium requires 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L; 420,000 imp gal) of water. Yet, the largest mines in the world reside in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, which often face droughts and have serious demand for fresh water from the local farmers.
The US imports about 25% of its lithium supply — nearly all of which comes from Chile and Argentina — but an analysis of federal data by the Atlantic Council found that it relied on China for ...
Down a steep dirt road from the Baishi Huashan lithium mine in southern China, trucks laden with silvery grey ore rumble towards a cluster of smelters in the valley below that have sprung up to ...
In July 2024, a series of environmental protests began in Serbia against the Jadar mine, a European Union–backed and Serbian government-approved lithium mining project. The project was proposed by Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto to develop Europe's largest lithium mine in the West Serbian region of Jadar, causing significant backlash due to its potential environmental damage and exploitation of ...
The latest bid by conservationists and tribal leaders to block construction of a huge lithium mine already in the works along the Nevada-Oregon line was denied by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of ...