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Lithium is an increasingly important material. It’s used to power our phones, tablets, laptops, electric cars and so much more.

Unfortunately, sourcing the precious commodity can be quite environmentally damaging.

How Lithium is Mined

In order to extract lithium minerals, miners start by drilling a hole in the ground and pumping brine into the hole. The brine then rests on the surface.

As the brine rests, the liquid evaporates; leaving behind a dense collection of minerals. It takes 12-18 months for everything to be evaporated, and it’s a process which uses a lot of water. Roughly half a million gallons are used for every ton of lithium produced.

In some countries, the impact of this process is substantial. In Chile, lithium mining consumed 65 per cent of the entire region’s water.

The mining process also has the ability to leach other toxic materials into the surrounding water sources via groundwater or acid rain.

In developed countries, such as North America, the process is a little more refined. Despite this, the effects of lithium mining can still be felt from afar; a reduction in wildlife number has been recorded as much as 250 kilometres from the mines.

Lithium Mining in Chile

Lithium Power International’s (ASX:LPI) joint venture company, Minera Salar Blanco, has recently received environmental approval for its Maricunga Project in Chile.

The Chilean Government’s Central Environmental Committee has voted to approve the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This is one of the few EIA’s approved in recent years.

Chile is one of the world’s top producers of lithium, however, it took the company two and a half years to receive this approval.

The Maricunga Project is located in the “lithium triangle”, 250 kilometres from the port of Caldera at the Atacama Region in northern Chile. The region is home to the southern part of the Atacama Desert.

The “Lithium Triangle.” Sources: Financial Post

The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places in the world and is comprised of stony terrain, salt lakes, sand and felsic lava. According to National Geographic, this desert is even helping NASA understand life on Mars.

However, the metal industry is changing the terrain, with access roads across the pristine salt flats and the water-intensive extraction process leaving the ground pocked and scarred.

But what is all the big fuss about having lithium mines in Chile?

Well, lithium mines are found on salt lakes. In Chile, salt lakes are home to lots of species of wildlife, including the Flamingo.

Last year, scientist discovered 14 Loa water frogs struggling to survive in a nearly dry river bed. They believed these to be among the last of the species.

The scientist says this was due to the habitat destruction and pollution outside the city of Calama.

Salar de Atacama is the world’s largest and purest active source of lithium, containing 27 per cent of the world’s lithium reserve base.

Lithium Extraction 1, Salar Atacama, Chile- 2018. Sourced: David Maisel

Villagers speak out

Farmer Sara Plaza lives in a village near the Salar de Atacama and spoke about the changing landscapes to the BBC.

“There used to be beautiful lagoons down there, with hundreds of flamingos … when they opened their wing, you’d see their pretty pink and black feathers. Now it’s all dry and the birds have gone.”

Sara Plaza, Interview with BBC

Sara says that the villagers use to graze their animals on pastures beneath the Ande mountains, but now the land is just “hard, cracked ground” and they can’t keep llamas anymore.

Jorge Cruz, a farmer from a village in Camar, says if the mining companies continue to use fresh water at the current rate, his village will not survive.

“The birds have gone, we can’t keep animals anymore. It’s getting harder and harder to grow crops. If it gets any worse… we will have to emigrate,” Jorge explained to the BBC.

Land near a lithium mine. Sourced: BBC

Atacama, one of Chile’s biggest lithium explorer, says all of its measurements are available to authorities and local communities. The firm’s engineers are working on new technologies to produce greater amounts of lithium using less water.

The bigger picture

It’s not just lithium mines using the water. Copper mines are accessing the same sources of fresh water for their processing activities.

Some companies, however, are realising the impact their mining has on larger communities. This week, BHP’s Escondida mine — the world’s largest copper mine — announced it had dropped plans to continue drawing water from the Atacama salt flat. BHP said the decision came as it had conversations with indigenous communities around the flat.

With electric cars on the rise, so is the demand for lithium. It’s sparked further production in an industry expected to be worth $1.3 trillion by 2025. The irony is clear; electric cars are supposed to be more eco-friendly than traditional vehicles, but how can they be justified when the mining process does more environmental harm than good?

LPI by the numbers
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