New lithium source

[Old Rocks]

New Wyoming Lithium Deposit could Meet all U.S. Demand

University of Wyoming researchers found the lithium while studying the idea of storing carbon dioxide underground in the Rock Springs Uplift, a geologic formation in southwest Wyoming. University of Wyoming Carbon Management Institute director Ron Surdam stated that the lithium was found in underground brine. Surdam estimated the located deposit at roughly 228,000 tons in a 25-square-mile area. Extrapolating the data, Surdam said as the uplift covered roughly 2,000 square miles, there could be up to 18 million tons of lithium there, worth up to roughly $500 billion at current market prices.

As a yardstick, the lithium reserves at Silver Peak, Nevada, the largest domestic producer of lithium total 118,000 tons in a 20-square-mile area. The University of Wyoming stated that in a best-case scenario, the Rock Springs Uplift’s 18 million tons of potential lithium reserves is equivalent to roughly 720 years of current global lithium production. UW researchers suggest that the lithium mining could be part of a carbon dioxide sequestration operation, since the lithium-bearing brine must be pumped to the surface from the underground rock formation to extract the lithium, creating space to store the CO2 in its place. Surdam highlighted the economic advantages to the combined lithium-CO2 storage operation, commenting, "You get paid to put the carbon in the subsurface and that'll pay for the wells to remove the lithium."

Really, forget the damned coal fired plants, and use the geothermal energy in the brines to run the power plants. Double whammy, clean power and abundant lithium for batteries for EV's.

 

[skookerasbil]

God Ray......you cant go trying to control nature. Go see the movie Godzilla......the scientists in the movie even laugh at the notion.

Geothermal energy is great but trying to store CO2.......I don't want to pay for that. We have far too many problems in the way of govt. expenditures to get involved in this.

 

[Darkwind]

On the up side, that is enough lithium to keep democrats on the level for at least five years!

 

[Old Rocks]

Only fair, you guys needed the lithium in 2012.

 

[waltky]

Thought they had rare earth metals of their own...

China is winning electric cars 'arms race'
November 20, 2017: China is outmaneuvering the U.S. and other countries in the global scramble for a vital element for electric cars.

As demand for the vehicles surges, Chinese companies have been doing deals around the world to secure supplies of lithium, a silvery-white metal mined from rocks in Australia and brine pools in South America. China is the top market for electric and hybrid cars, accounting for roughly half of global sales, and the government is pushing the development of the industry within its borders. That calls for a lot of lithium, a key component of the vehicles' batteries. "Whoever controls the lithium supply chain will control the future of the electric vehicle space," said Simon Moores, managing director at research and data provider Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. "There's a global battery arms race."

China has limited lithium resources of its own, so it's looking abroad. In September, Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor (GWLLF) bought a stake in Pilbara Minerals (PILBF), an Australian lithium miner. Earlier this year, China's Ganfeng Lithium snapped up 20% of an Argentine project. Last year, China's Tianqi Lithium took a 2% stake in Chile's SQM (SQM), one of the world's top miners of the metal. The Chinese government has been quietly instructing state-owned enterprises to hunt down lithium resources outside China, according to Francois Perrin, a portfolio manager at investment firm East Capital. He predicts that over the next few years, China will wield increasing influence over the supply of lithium and other metals used in electric batteries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said he didn't have any specific information on the trend of Chinese investment in lithium supplies. "We always strive to deepen economic cooperation with all countries in all fields, including in energy and auto sectors," he said in response to a question from CNN. "I wouldn't find it surprising if there is Chinese cooperation with other countries in mining certain minerals." The Chinese firms involved in the recent deals didn't respond to requests for comment. Neither did the National Development and Reform Commission, which helps guide the country's economic policies.

Beijing has a track record of directing Chinese companies to do its bidding, such as squeezing South Korea's tourism industry earlier this year over a dispute with Seoul over a U.S. missile defense system. It also has history of using crucial natural resources under its control as diplomatic weapons: it was widely accused of restricting exports in 2010 of a group of minerals that are vital for many high-tech devices. The pursuit of lithium for electric cars fits with Chinese President Xi Jinping's plans, according to analysts. "China's aggressive moves in the lithium sector speak to the country taking leadership around important issues such as public health and fighting climate change," said Chris Berry, founder of research firm House Mountain Partners. China wants to be a global leader in lithium, from mining the metal to processing it, he said.

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[Old Rocks]

The Goodnough sodium glass battery is the solution for that. Everybody has access to salt.