Here's a riddle: What links your cell phone battery to dead animals found near the seashore? The answer is Lithium. Batteries are essential in the 21st century, used in everything from mobile phones to electric cars, constructed to be environmentally friendly. The central element in these batteries is Lithium, making it Lithium-ion batteries. Lithium is a metal mined from Earth, and mining the Earth for heavy metals emits toxic gases during the process, which negatively affects the environment. In Tibet, near the Lithium mining region, there have been huge problems reported of dead fishes found near the shore because of a chemical leak from the mine. Even people started protesting because of the rise of this issue. These detrimental effects of Lithium mining are now noticeable even in the second-biggest lithium producer, Chile.
To begin the process, the miners dig holes to make large flat basins to pump salty, mineral-rich brine to the surface. The holes are then left for 18 months so the brine can evaporate. Then the residue is collected and produced into metallic Lithium. Studies suggest that for every tonne of Lithium produced, 500,000 gallons of water are utilized. In Salar de Atacama, mining activities consumed up to 65% of the region’s water, causing havoc for local farmers. Reports also suggest lithium operations have led to soil damage creating a problem for herding livestock. Hence, the emission of harmful gases and the release of chemicals through leaching or seeping harms the ecosystem. This can also endanger communities and lead to drought and famine if not kept in check. Some estimates have pegged the demand for lithium-ion batteries to reach 2.2 million tonnes by 2030.
Another issue that comes up with Lithium-ion batteries is recycling. In an interview with Wired with Dr Gavin Harper, of the Faraday Institution’s lithium recycling project, said that “Manufacturers are understandably secretive about what goes into their batteries, which makes it harder to recycle them properly.” The most common method for recycling lithium batteries from devices and electric vehicles is to shred the cells, which creates a mix of metal that can then be separated using chemical techniques. In that too, a lot of Lithium is wasted. Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year and most of them are just thrown away after use. Lithium has been considered a critical metal due to its high economic and technological importance. Reserves of lithium have been recently estimated to be about 40 million tonnes. Efforts are being made to recycle Lithium and to make the process more environmentally friendly.
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