Lithium and lithium-ion batteries currently power devices including smartphones and electric cars and is currently the basis of storing solar and wind energy. The popularity of these batteries is due to their high energy density and efficiency and they are considered as more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels.

Once manufactured, these batteries provide a zero-emission alternative to internal combustion engines. But the materials needed to create these batteries, which include not only lithium but  also cobalt and nickel, present significant environmental problems.

Environmental effects of lithium extraction

There are currently two main methods of commercial lithium extraction:

• Salt flat brine extraction is used in most extractions which use lithium-rich brine deposits found in subterranean reservoirs, mainly located in the “Lithium Triangle” spanning the borders of Bolivia, Argentina and Chile which contains over 50% of  known lithium reserves.
• Open-pit mining requires mining and processing rocks. This is much more complex than salt flat brine extraction.

Production of one ton of lithium requires about 2.2 million litres of water which is often contaminated and cannot then be used for agriculture nor for human consumption. In the Lithium Triangle over 60% of the region’s water is consumed in mineral extraction.

Furthermore the polluted water may leak out into local rivers carrying toxic chemicals, killing fish and animals that drink the water and destroying plants. Or it may seep into the soil and ground water, increasing the environmental damage and leading to habitat loss.

In addition harmful chemicals can evaporate into the air, posing health risks to local populations and further polluting soils.

The Lithium Triangle is home to a number of Indigenous communities. The environmental effects of lithium extraction fosters tension between extraction companies and indigenous populations.

And there are several other chemicals in lithium and lithium-ion batteries, such as cobalt and nickel, that are also cause for concern. More information can be found in reference [1] below.

Other issues

The production of lithium batteries is energy-intensive and has a substantial carbon footprint. Production of an electric vehicle (EV) has produces about twice the greenhouse gas of an internal combustion engine vehicle.

Lithium, cobalt, and nickel are finite resources which will eventually run out, so people are looking for alternative types of battery. But at present nothing has been found which stores as much electric charge as a lithium battery.

The Good News

Lithium is not expected to accumulate in humans or other living tissue and its toxicity is low.

Further Information

[1] The Harmful Effects of our Lithium Batteries: https://greenly.earth/en-us/blog/ecology-news/the-harmful-effects-of-our-lithium-batteries

[2] The Paradox of Lithium: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/01/18/the-paradox-of-lithium

[3] Is Lithium Mining Bad For The Environment?: https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/is-lithium-mining-bad-for-the-environment

[4] Lithium: Environmental Pollution and Health Effects: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288208437_Lithium_Environmental_Pollution_and_Health_Effects