Life after lithium: Future battery technologies

The surge in global demand for batteries, fuelled by the rapid electrification of vehicles and the demands to store renewable energy, has brought attention to the environmental drawbacks of lithium extraction methods. 

For instance, the evaporation ponds in Chile, where lithium-rich brine is concentrated, use 682 times more water than sodium extraction methods, leading to water contamination that affects local communities, and while hard rock lithium mining in Australia presents itself as an alternative, it emits a substantial 15 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of lithium extracted, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.