Production of lithium environmental footprint by mineral source

Although lithium is necessary to increase the amount of electric vehicles on the roads, and other aspects of the energy transition, lithium production itself takes a sizeable toll on the environment. From its current main source, hard rock mines, lithium production generates around 15,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide , and uses about 170 cubic meters of water per metric ton of lithium produced. It also scars the landscape. A new source with a much lower footprint, geothermal brine, is a method with a considerably lower environmental impact than conventional sources.