4 ms·
Sodium is easier to find
by kzrdude 3y ago
Sodium is easier to find
- torginus 3y agoYeah, but lithium isn't exactly rare either.
- raverbashing 3y agoActually not at the rates we're predicted to use it, no And yes Sodium is fine for most applications where it can be a little heavier (grid uses, maybe cars) which is where most of it is projected to be needed.
- jvm___ 3y agohttps://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/s/Co4zeAhcmT https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/s/Co4zeAhcmT Here's how much of everything we mined in 2022. Lithium is bottom left corner just above Gold.
- varjag 3y agoSince Li kg price is not anywhere near to that of gold, the production is likely demand-constrained.
- oddmiral 3y agoLithium price jumped 6x in 2020-2022. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2023/trends-in-batteries https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2023/trends-in...
- ranting-moth 3y agoWhich production (save for byproducts) today isn't demand constrained?
- xxs 3y agoBut cobalt is (which is the basis of the 'classic' Li-Ion). Of course, LiFePO4 doesn't require it.
- drtgh 3y agoLithium is abundant, as are other "rare earths" (they are not rare), but the problem is that they are quite scattered and to extract them nowadays requires to process very large areas of land through chemical reactions (additives and evaporation).
- Tagbert 3y agoto be clear, lithium is not a rare earth.
- victorbjorklund 3y agoCompared to what? Sodium?
- culi 3y agoI hope this doesn't come off as combatative, but I don't know why people keep repeating this fun fact from their highschool chemistry class as if it's relevant to the discussion. Per a 2023 Nature article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-022-00387-5 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-022-00387-5 > The locations of suitable continental brines are also geographically restricted, with an estimated 50–85% of lithium-rich continental brine deposits located in the Lithium Triangle and with China as the next richest source. Hard-rock ores are also geographically concentrated in Australia and China Lithium in a form that is economical to mine/process is indeed quite rare. Which is why 3 countries produce 90% of it. And it is extremely environmentally costly which is treated as an economic externality. It takes 1.9m litres to mine one ton of lithium and solvent chemicals like hydrochloric acid contaminates groundwater, making the entire site toxic and unlivable. Entire governments have been overthrown for access to this resource.
- anonuser123456 3y agoLithium mines are hard to build (capital intensive, permitting, water availability), and there aren’t enough to satisfy demand.