Lithium Mining: Environmental and Social Impact of Mineral Extraction

Lithium mining is becoming the gold rush of the 21st century. Lithium is in high demand as consumers gravitate to electric vehicles and power banks that store electricity generated from solar panels and wind turbines.

Picture this, a vast expanse of 750,000 acres in the middle of Chile’s Atacama Desert. Vibrant blue and yellow ponds filled with brine, sourced from salty groundwater, dot the landscape. As mineral-rich brine water evaporates in the desert air a concentrated mixture rich in lithium and other salts is deposited. The colored ponds look pretty but the surface mine operation poses environmental risks. In this water-scarce region environmental protection is limited and improved mining practices are needed.

Beyond Traditional Mineral Extraction Operations

The mining operations in Chile create environmental and social consequences that impact the local populations. Learning from mining operations conducted in other parts of the world, Chilean authorities and industry can implement measures that mitigate environmental degradation.

For example, cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has resulted in human rights violations. Similarly, Indonesian fishers report that local nickel mining and processing have harmed their fishing grounds and livelihoods. Lessons learned from other mining operations offers a roadmap to minimizing its impact on human health and the environment.

In North America, native American reservation lands contain 79 percent of discovered lithium reserves, potentially leading to similar issues. Federal and state governments, and the mining industry have significant planning and community engagement to pursue to achieve national lithium goals without causing long-term impacts on indigenous lands and local communities.

Responsible Approaches to Lithium Mining. Policy Development

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the United States government is implementing regulations that transition the motor vehicle industry from petroleum fuels to electric. For this transition to occur, lithium battery manufacturing requires large mineral reserves. Classified as a strategic mineral, the United States seeks to domestically source lithium in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

The potential mining impacts on human rights, water quality, native species, and air quality requires rigorous assessment. It is imperative to establish policies that address responsible mineral extraction and best practices in battery production.

Ecocentric Mining Innovations

Researchers are evaluating potential mineral deposits and developing new technologies and mining processes. The electric vehicle transition represents an investment opportunity to pursue technologies and practices that support innovative mineral extraction.

Potential mining techniques include direct lithium extraction. In this method, water rich in lithium (brine) is pumped directly to a processing unit. As a result, this reduces the need for raw material handling. Another possibility involves ocean floor mining, where companies harvest rocks rich in minerals.
Addressing hurdles over fishery habitat impact and political opposition is necessary, along with tackling operational difficulties, for viable large-scale mining to be profitable.

Even seawater contains an abundance of minerals. The desalinization of seawater as a potable water resource leaves behind vast quantities of salt. This byproduct has the potential to support battery technology and other applications.

The least expensive means of obtaining lithium is recycling batteries. Recycling uses a fraction of the energy that mining and mineral processing requires, and has the added benefit of reducing landfill waste.

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References:

• United States Environmental Protection Agency. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• The White House, EV Acceleration Challenge
• Nature.com, Seawater desalination concentrate—a new frontier for sustainable mining of valuable minerals