Gem Hunters Found the Lithium America Needs. Maine Won’t Let Them Dig It Up (time.com)

submitted 1 year ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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Gem Hunters Found the Lithium America Needs. Maine Won’t Let Them Dig It Up::Gem hunters in Maine found one of the richest lithium deposits in the U.S. State laws are preventing them from being able to mine it.

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[-] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

So they US just needs to open 187 more desalination plants... and find a place to put all that deadly brine.

[-] LordOfTheChia@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

An instant ramen factory would at least take care of the sodium!

That said, looks like the current sea water desalination worldwide is pretty huge:

https://www.wired.com/story/desalination-is-booming-but-what-about-all-that-toxic-brine/

16,000 operating desal facilities worldwide have been producing. Until now. Researchers report today that global desal brine production is 50 percent higher than previous estimates, totaling 141.5 million cubic meters a day, compared to 95 million cubic meters of actual freshwater output from the facilities.

236.5 million cubic meters of sea water processed a day, 264 gallons in a cubic meter = 62.44 Billion gallons of water per day.

If the Lithium content is the same as it is in the US example, then that is a potential 20,000 tons of Lithium a year (again assuming the same Li concentration and 100% extraction.

Sadly still short of the current global demand for lithium:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/u-s-seeks-new-lithium-sources-as-demand-for-clean-energy-grows

Worldwide demand for lithium was about 350,000 tons (317,517 metric tons) in 2020, but industry estimates project demand will be up to six times greater by 2030.

this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2023

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