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I think it's important to note what the authors left out: although they dubbed it "white gold" in the article, on Earth lithium is 5000 times more prevalent tha
by empthought 4y ago
I think it's important to note what the authors left out: although they dubbed it "white gold" in the article, on Earth lithium is 5000 times more prevalent than gold by ppm.
- throwaway4aday 4y agoGold is a weird comparison, it's valuable because it is rare. How does lithium compare to iron?
- empthought 4y agoIron's another 2000 times more abundant than lithium, but geologically earth is basically a ball of silicon, iron, and magnesium oxides with some other trace elements along for the ride.
- fnordpiglet 4y agoI think they meant “valuable metal” … black gold is probably what they’re drawing an analogy, not actual gold.
- empthought 4y agoThat's a bad analogy too, because "black gold" is burned for energy and the process of using it is identical to carbon emission. Both real gold and "white gold" stick around even after we use them, and aren't greenhouse gases themselves.
- fnordpiglet 4y agoIt’s not a great article in any dimension really