The Lithium future—Resources, recycling, and the environment
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Abstract: The demand for Lithium‐ion batteries as a major power source in portable electronic devices and vehicles is rapidly increasing. I use cumulative data of vehicle, mobile phone, laptop, and digital camera production to show that demand will overshoot the available global Lithium resources before 2025. Even if 100% of all Lithium‐ion batteries were recycled today, recycling could not prevent this resource depletion in time. As the increasing Lithium scarcity will increase the price, it will be feasible to mine diluted resources with a strong environmental impact. I highlight these impacts in Lithium‐rich Bolivia, the potential new “Saudi Arabia of Lithium.” Lithium extraction is likely to cause substantial water pollution, and—through impacts on native diversity—facilitate human health impacts from cyanobacteria that are normally kept at bay by native flamingos. The strongly intertwined Lithium extraction impacts on the environment, biodiversity, and human health from evaporative ponds and ore mining need to be taken into consideration when we discuss resource protection and opportunities from Lithium recycling. Overall, sensible Lithium recycling strategies can provide effective resource and environmental protection right now but urgently need to be supplemented by alternative technologies in the near‐future.
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The process involves brine evaporation and mineral washing with sodium carbonate, which, if breached, could leak harmful chemicals into the environment and pollute water sources.
“The process involves brine evaporation and mineral washing with sodium carbonate, which, if breached, could leak harmful chemicals into the environment and pollute water sources [40].”
From Electrochemical Direct Lithium Extraction: A Review of Electrodialysis and Capacitive Deionization Technologies (2025) · cites this paper as [40]
Several alternate battery technologies such as metal-air and sodium-ion have evolved but are yet to reach their full potential.
“In addition, several alternate battery technologies such as metal-air, sodium-ion, etc., have evolved; however, they are yet to reach their full potential [11,12].”
From Electric Vehicle Battery Supply Chain and Critical Materials: A Brief Survey of State of the Art (2023) · cites this paper as [11]
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“…and mineral washing with sodium carbonate, which, if breached, could leak harmful chemicals into the environment and pollute water sources [40]. involves brine evaporation and mineral washing with sodium carbonate, which, if breached, could leak harmful chemicals into the environment and…”
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- Authors
- Wanger, T. C.
- Affiliations
- The University of Adelaide (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Wanger, Thomas Cherico
- Venue
- Conservation Letters
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-03-23
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 202-206
- ISSN
- 1755-263X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2108065940
- Cited by
- 345
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 47 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 6.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Conservation Letters (publishedVersion)
- Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
- GRO (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- University of Adelaide
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Extraction and Separation Processes
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Mining and Resource Management
- Social Sciences › Law › Geology and Environmental Impact Studies
- Keywords
- lithium, lithium-ion batteries, lithium demand, lithium recycling, lithium mining, water pollution, cyanobacteria, biodiversity loss, human health effects, ore mining, resource constraints
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