10 million EVs could be powered by lithium hidden in one year of US mine waste
https://interestingengineering.com/science/us-mines-critical-minerals
10 million EVs could be powered by lithium hidden in one year of US mine waste
https://interestingengineering.com/science/us-mines-critical-minerals
7 Comments
A new study argues that the United States could dramatically increase supplies of critical minerals by recovering them as byproducts from existing mines. Materials that are currently treated as waste.
An analysis across 70 elements at 54 active mines found enormous potential for recovery.
According to the authors’ estimate, one year of U.S. mine waste contains enough lithium to power 10 million electric vehicles and enough manganese to power 99 million. Figures that far exceed current domestic demand and import levels.
Pursuing this would kinda smash up the “EVs are terrible because of all the mining” argument
We could avoid all the trouble with lithium sourcing if we use this technology to power light vehicles like cars – [https://www.neimagazine.com/news/infinity-power-develops-new-high-efficiency-nuclear-battery/](https://www.neimagazine.com/news/infinity-power-develops-new-high-efficiency-nuclear-battery/)
Okay. So who’s going to give tax breaks and subsidies to make refining it profitable?
So what? The US is going full in on fossil. But I guess they could sell the minerals to Eurooe.
Why lithium at all? I believe the new CATL batteries are made of sodium and cost $10 per kilowatt vs the current $100 per kilowatt lithium cells.
Guess what we could do with the thorium that’s being discarded as slag.