The amount of fresh water available for lithium mining is vastly overestimated, hydrologists warn

The Battery Boom Is Draining the Andes – And Scientists Say It’s Worse Than We Thought

New research reveals that current global water models dramatically overestimate the amount of freshwater available for lithium mining in South America’s Lithium Triangle, a critical hub for the world’s battery supply. Using a custom-built model, scientists found that freshwater inflows are 10 tim

New UMass research may upend mining industry essential for batteries

New research led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst scientists debunks commonly accepted models used to estimate available water for lithium mining — and found the mining to have significant environmental effects.

The amount of fresh water available for lithium mining is vastly overestimated, hydrologists warn

New research into lithium mining in the "Lithium Triangle" of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia—source of more than half of the world's lithium resources—shows that the commonly accepted models used to estimate how much water is available for lithium extraction and what the environmental effects may be are off by more than an order of magnitude.

Environmental News Network - We are Vastly Overestimating the Amount of Fresh Water Available for Lithium Mining, New Study Finds

New research into lithium mining in the “Lithium Triangle” of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia — source of more than half of the world’s lithium resources — shows that the commonly accepted models used to estimate how much water is available for lithium extraction and what the environmental effects may be are off by more than an order of magnitude.

The sectoral manager of Litio Bolivianos (YLB) contract management, René Salinas, said that preliminary environmental studies guarantee the technical conditions for the installation of three industrial plants for the production of lithium carbonate battery grade, with direct lithium extraction technology (EDL), south of the Salar de Uyuni, in the department of Potosí. “Our preliminary assessment is positive, depending on an environmental balance…

Demand for lithium for electric vehicles and energy storage is skyrocketing, but a new study warns that we’re vastly overestimating the availability of freshwater in the world’s key lithium-producing regions. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst have found that the most widely used hydrological models underestimate the true freshwater supply in the “Lithium Triangle,” an area in the […] More science? Read the latest articles …