Lithium as a strategic resource: geopolitics, industrialization, and mining in Argentina
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Abstract: The world’s major lithium reservoirs are located in South America in the so-called lithium triangle and do now attract international investments while simultaneously generating enormous expectations within the local population. Lithium is gaining importance in the world economy, both for new technologies and electric mobility, as well as in the context of an energy system transformation. In this article, in the first place we present the potentials of lithium, both as a strategic resource as well as for an industrial development in Argentina. Hereafter, based on extensive field research in the region, we present the situation of the principal lithium projects in Argentina. Finally, we examine possible socio-environmental conflicts associated with lithium mining. The main objective of this article is to emphasize the necessity of a more research and understanding of the conditions of lithium exploitation in order to keep up with the depth of upcoming changes. Resumen: Las mayores reservas mundiales de litio se encuentran en América del Sur, en el llamado “Triángulo del litio”. Esta región es actualmente el destino de numerosas inversiones internacionales y simultáneamente genera importantes expectativas para la población local. El litio adquiere cada vez mayor importancia para la economía mundial, tanto por su aplicación en nuevas tecnologías y en la electro-movilidad, como también en el contexto del desarrollo de energías renovables. En este artículo, en la primera parte presentamos los potenciales del litio para Argentina como mineral estratégico y como base para el desarrollo industrial. Luego, basados en un extenso trabajo de campo en la región, presentamos la situación de los principales proyectos mineros de litio en Argentina. Finalmente, examinamos los posibles conflictos socio-ambientales asociados a esta minería. El objetivo principal del artículo es, de este modo, enfatizar la necesidad de investigaciones para un mayor entendimiento de las condiciones en que se está explotando el litio y así brindar mayores oportunidades para afrontar los cambios por venir.
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The chemicals used for precipitation and the waste produced by this process have raised many socioenvironmental concerns.
“Furthermore, the chemicals used for precipitation and the waste produced by this process have raised many socioenvironmental concerns (Anlauf, 2016; Liu et al., 2019; Dorn et al., 2020).”
From A review of technologies for direct lithium extraction from low Li+ concentration aqueous solutions (2022) · cites this paper as Dorn et al., 2020
South American Salts and the Canadian company Millennial Lithium have carried out explorations in the Salar de Olaroz-Cauchari.
“In addition to other licenses, South American Salts 24 and the Canadian company Millennial Lithium have carried out explorations (Dorn and Ruiz Peyré 2020).”
From Mining companies, indigenous communities, and the state: the political ecology of lithium in Chile (Salar de Atacama) and Argentina (Salar de Olaroz-Cauchari) (2022) · cites this paper as Dorn and Ruiz Peyré 2020
There have been recent calls for a 'whole systems' approach to understanding the geopolitics of energy system transformation.
“It is in this context that there have been recent calls for a 'whole systems' approach to understanding the geopolitics of energy system transformation [147].”
From Towards the lithium-ion battery production network: Thinking beyond mineral supply chains (2022) · cites this paper as [147]
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- Authors
- Dorn, F. M., & Ruiz Peyré, F.
- ORCID
- Dorn, Felix M.
- Venue
- Journal of Latin American Geography
- Publisher
- Project MUSE
- Published
- 2020
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 68-90
- ISSN
- 1545-2476 (ISSN-L)
- 1548-5811
- OpenAlex
- W3102366757
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 9
- FWCI
- 3.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- Journal of Latin American geography (publishedVersion)
- Civil War Book Review (submittedVersion)
- Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Mining and Resource Management
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Extractivism and Socioeconomic Issues
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Extraction and Separation Processes
- Keywords
- lithium, lithium mining, lithium triangle, strategic resources, geopolitics of resources, electric mobility, energy transition, renewable energy, industrial development, socio-environmental conflicts, Argentina
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