Do we have enough lithium for all the batteriers we'll need in the future, and can lithium mining and processing ever be green? In this video I talk with chemical engineer Alex Grant to find out.
Lithium-ion batteries have been improving our lives since the 1990s. Originally by making music players and mobile phones mobile portable, and over the last decade in electric vehicles and grid batteries. And we're going to need many more of these in the future. Are we going to have enough lithium to supply the rapidly growing battery industry? Then there is a question of the environmental impact of all this lithium mining and processing in particular greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint of its battery is by far the largest component of an electric vehicle's total lifetime emissions, and lithium makes up a really decent chunk of that. Are we going to be able to make a carbon neutral lithium ion battery anytime soon?
00:00 Intro
01:50 Is it fair to focus on the environmental impact only of green techs?
04:06 Are we going to run out of lithium?
06:22 3 families of lithium resources
06:38 Hard rock lithium (spodumene)
06:58 Sedimentary clay lithium
07:41 Lithium brines
08:39 Where do emissions come from in lithium mining?
12:43 Can we decarbonise lithium mining?
14:33 Lithium mining has an opportunity to make mining green
Alex Grant is principal at Jade Cove Partners: https://www.jadecove.com/
If you want to dig deeper into lithium mining and its environmental impact, check out these articles Alex has written on the topic:
http://www.jadecove.com/research/carbonneutral
http://www.jadecove.com/research/enoughlithium
https://www.jadecove.com/research/liohco2impact
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Image sources and article links:
Lithium-ion battery consumption http://futuresmart.com.au/news/2018/lithium-industry-in-australia
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/will-lithium-run-out/
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-lithium-battery-future/?utm_medium=cpc_search&utm_campaign=NB_ACQ_DSAXX_DSAXXXXXXXXXX_EVG_XXXX_XXX_Y0469_EN_EN_X_BLOM_GO_SE_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1dGJBhD4ARIsANb6OdkI0QHCVM4CO5-9303lfWwYQGCw-VSYAfP1SSztwS6T7TzFggAG9g8aAn2aEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/09/15/how-long-will-the-lithium-supply-last/
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/04/14/2209842/0/en/Emerging-Markets-Report-Lithium-Could-Run-out-by-2025.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/why-electric-cars-may-be-much-dirtier-than-gas-powered-ones-2014-12?r=AU&IR=T
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/dec/08/the-curse-of-white-oil-electric-vehicles-dirty-secret-lithium
https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/australias-evs-are-dirtier-than-petrol-cars
#technology #engineering #stem
Thanks for watching the video Lithium Mining and the Environment
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