Dark side to our Electric Future

The USA currently has only one operational lithium mine. That could soon change, with multiple new projects in development across the country, as Nevada enters the race for lithium with new (polluting) mines.

The race is on to produce more lithium in the United States. Rare earth metals like lithium are a crucial component in electric vehicle batteries. As production of electric cars surges around the world, demand for the mineral is soaring – and US miners are looking to cash in.

And, although it’s the most abundant, lithium isn’t even the most problematic ingredient of lithium ion batteries.

Cobalt and nickel are quickly becoming the new blood diamonds of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both are extremely toxic when pulled from the ground, often using child labor without protective equipment.

And, to top it all off, lithium-ion batteries are not recyclable, leaving their toxic contents to leach into landfills and ground water!

(Lithium) is now coming to the USA. It’s literally coming, said Eric Norris, President of Lithium at Albemarle Corporation, a US chemical manufacturer. Production today is very dependent on Asia. More of that’s coming to the USA. That’s important.

The USA currently has only one operational lithium mine. That could soon change, with multiple new projects in development across the country.

In October, the Biden administration awarded €2.7 billion in grants to build and expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles in 12 states – meaning demand could rise significantly.

But some environmentalists warn of the adverse consequences of lithium mining. So what is lithium mining – what does it mean for the planet? Does it help lower carbon emissions in the shipping and airline industries?

As of 2035, the EU will require all new cars and vans to be zero-emission, while the USA is looking to phase out all fossil fuel-reliant heavy duty vehicles by 2040. However, heavy polluting mega-ships and the airline industry still have a free out of jail card to their disposal.

To produce electric car batteries, suppliers require vast quantities of rare earth metals. Lithium is the most common, but graphite and cobalt are also used.

It’s so useful because it’s extremely light, explains lithium industry analyst Chris Berry, pointing out that the metal is also preferred because it holds a charge and has a 30-year track record of use across a host of different applications.

Worldwide, demand for lithium was about 317,517 metric tonnes in 2020, but industry estimates project demand will be up to six times greater by 2030.

To achieve its goal of climate neutrality by mid-century, the EU will require 18 times more lithium than it currently uses by 2030 and almost 60 times more by 2050. Lithium demand on a global basis is growing at about 20% per year.

Lithium reserves are distributed widely across the globe. But lithium mines are not. Europe and the USA both only have one operational lithium mine each. The USA produces less than 2% of the world’s supply of lithium, although it has about 4% of proven reserves.

Much of the world’s lithium comes from South America and Australia, with China dominating the world supply chain of lithium-ion batteries. The Chinese own probably 60% to 70% of the lithium supply chain in particular, says Berry.

US developers are looking at several possible new mine sites. One project is proposed for Thacker Pass in northern Nevada by Lithium Americas. If green lit, this mine would make millions of tons of lithium available.

Australian-based Ioneer also wants to build a large lithium mine in Nevada, which the company says is expected to produce some 20,000 tonnes of lithium per year, enough to power hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles annually.

Is Lithium mining bad for the planet? Petrol cars produce a lot of greenhouse gases. But, if fossil fuels extraction and coal mines are to generate electricity, what is the point?

Transport accounts for around 30% of global carbon emissions and 72% of these emissions no come directly from fossil fuel vehicles. But electric vehicles are no silver bullet.

Switching to them would knock out a large chunk of these emissions, though there are still significant issues around how electricity is generated and the environmental impact of manufacturing new cars.

Lithium mining itself has negative environmental consequences, as with many types of resource extraction. Mining can degrade soil, cause water shortages, and damage local ecosystems.

When lithium is produced using evaporation ponds, for example, it takes approximately 2.2 million liters to produce one metric tonne of lithium. This is the equivalent of around 48,000 five minute showers.

The Sierra Club – a grassroots US environmental organization – has spoken out against lithium mining in the past. In a 2021 review, its board of director’s recognized the need for electrification – but called for a careful approach to mine approval.

In general, large-scale mining is environmentally destructive and often disruptive to nearby communities, the document reads.

As such, the process of developing mining operations, including lithium, needs to be approached carefully and with attention to community and polluting concerns.

Lucky for all of us there is a much, much better alternative, that doesn’t involve any mining and comes from a truly renewable resource – hemp!

Hemp batteries are eight times more powerful than lithium for a fraction of the cost, new research shows.

The Lithium ride was a great one. Cobalt, too. All they needed was their Elon Musk moment, which came in the form of the Nevada battery giga-factory.

The next Elon Musk moment won’t be about lithium at all—or even cobalt. It will be for an element that takes everything electric to its revolutionary finish line: Vanadium.

Green Euro News / ABC Flash Point News 2024.