Lithium demand is steadily rising. Companies use this raw material in the manufacture of batteries for electric cars, mobile phones and all kinds of electrical appliances. But does the Earth have enough resources to respond to all or do we need for a back plan also?...
The market is dominated by Chile, Argentina and Australia, writes La Tribune. For this year, the world demand for lithium carbonate should reach 372,288 tonnes, compared to 201,000 tonnes in 2016. The Chilean National Mines Commission estimates global production will reach 440,318 tonnes in 2021.
The first metal in the Periodic Table of Mendeleev's elements, lithium is also the lightest, precious feature for electronics manufacturers. The largest reserves are found in the "lithium triangle", in the saline lakes located at the Argentina-Bolivia-Chile triple border, on the other side of the Andes Cordilleres. This area has more than half of the world's reserves.
Resources are being exploited by Argentina and Chile, but not by Bolivia. Other major manufacturers are China, USA and Canada. Peru recently announced the operation of a huge lithium and uranium deposit in the Puno region, near Lake Titicaca. Chile extracts lithium from the Atacama Desert, one of the richest deposits in the world. The deposit is famous for its high concentration and low level of impurities.
It seems that for the moment we might be good and all the world attention has turned to the Lithium reserves. But, as the electric industry booms for sure the reserves will not be enough for what's to come. So I hope that new research will be done meanwhile and we'll be able to move from one technology to another without affecting the advances we succeeded so far.