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.
Environmental footprint of lithium production by mineral source
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BBC. (November 25, 2020). Environmental footprint of lithium production by mineral source [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/702167/environmental-footprint-lithium-production-by-mineral-source/
BBC. "Environmental footprint of lithium production by mineral source." Chart. November 25, 2020. Statista. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/702167/environmental-footprint-lithium-production-by-mineral-source/
BBC. (2020). Environmental footprint of lithium production by mineral source. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/702167/environmental-footprint-lithium-production-by-mineral-source/
BBC. "Environmental Footprint of Lithium Production by Mineral Source." Statista, Statista Inc., 25 Nov 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/702167/environmental-footprint-lithium-production-by-mineral-source/
BBC, Environmental footprint of lithium production by mineral source Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/702167/environmental-footprint-lithium-production-by-mineral-source/ (last visited November 21, 2024)
Environmental footprint of lithium production by mineral source [Graph], BBC, November 25, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/702167/environmental-footprint-lithium-production-by-mineral-source/
