How is Lithium Mined?

Lithium is the metal driving the battery revolution, making EVs and power tools more affordable and sustainable. But it’s also a reactive element that quickly gives up its electrons. That means it’s a precious resource. And mining is a tricky business. A single tonne of lithium requires digging up as much earth as coal would need in the United States for one year. That dirt can damage the surrounding environment, contaminating water sources and depleting soil nutrients, which could lead to plant death.

Most of the world’s lithium is extracted from briny lakes, known as salars, in South America. Lithium is found in these lakes primarily in the form of lithium salts. The metal can’t be mined directly because it is too reactive. Instead, large volumes of underground water are pumped to the surface and left to evaporate in open-air evaporation pools. The resulting mixture contains a variety of salts, but it is the lithium that’s harvested for saleable production.

But mining lithium has also creat- ed a lot of controversy because it’s very water intensive, often using ten times as much liquid as it produces. That’s why many communities near these salars oppose large-scale lithium mining, citing environmental and social impacts. These include displacing residents, disrupting ecosystems, and depleting water sources for other activities such as livestock grazing or drinking. However, significant advances in extraction methods could reduce land disruption, environmental impact, and water consumption. One technique uses natural underground steam, and another immerses reusable ion-exchange beads into the salts.