Supporters of lithium mining say the elemental salt is necessary to expand the clean energy economy, and it could create thousands of jobs at the same time. It’s a critical component in batteries for everything from smart phones to electric vehicles.
But the conventional method for extracting lithium could threaten water supplies, which are already scarce in the driest state in the country. That’s because mines usually pump briny groundwater from below the surface and evaporate it to isolate the lithium.
“You extract water from underground and you evaporate that water in an area where we have problems with water,” said Ehsan Vahidi, a professor with UNR’s Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering. “So that is the major problem in Nevada.”
In a March study, his lab found a new process, known as Direct Lithium Extraction – or DLE – consumes less water than evaporation ponds.
“They claim that they can recycle 99%, almost 100% of water and they can return the water into the ground system. So no evaporation,” he said.
Vahidi analyzed data from a mine in Clayton Valley, where a DLE pilot project is underway. But even though the process shows promise, Vahidi said it’ll be an uphill battle to get mining companies onboard.
“DLE is a kind of, you know, challenging, and questionable process. Nobody believes that a company can be profitable using DLE,” Vahidi said.
Also, while DLE may save water, it uses a lot of energy.
But Vahidi suggests mines could offset that by taking advantage of a natural resource that Nevada does have in spades – by powering their operations with solar energy.
Sydney Peerman is a student reporter for KUNR and the Hitchcock Project for Visualizing Science, which is part of the Reynolds School of Journalism.
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