Lithium Recycling

What is Lithium?

Lithium is a soft, silvery-white lustrous metal belonging to the alkali metal group of chemical elements. It is symbolized by ‘Li’. The commonly traded form of lithium in the global market is Li2CO3. Lithium does not occur as a pure free metal in nature but rather in the form of compounds as it is highly reactive. After extraction, the pure Lithium metal is kept in an inert atmosphere or liquid to prevent corrosion.

Where is Lithium found?

• Ores – The Li ores are spodumene, petalite, Eucryptite, Amblygonite, Lepidolite

• Salt lakes or Brines - Brine contains 0.02 to 5% Li+, along with other ions like Na+, K+, Cl?, and SO42?. Salar de Atacama in Chile is one of the world’s richest Lithium brine deposits.

Why is Lithium important?

Lithium has a variety of industrial applications:

• Ceramics and Glass - Adding Lithium to ceramics increases the glass melt rate and decreases their viscosity and melt temperature. The high thermal expansion coefficient of Lithium makes ceramics resilient to heat shock and increases mechanical strength.
• Batteries
• Greases/Castings - Lithium grease is useful in concentrating oil to produce high-temperature grease, and Lithium additives are used in casting to increase fluidity.
• Lithium is used in widely used in small electronics such as Smartphones and Laptops.
• Larger systems such as Electric Vehicles (#EVs) and Energy Storage Systems (#ESS) use huge amounts of Lithium.
• Organic Lithium materials are used as strong bases in polymers to form carbon-carbon bonds.

According to World Economic Forum, of all the Lithium usage, a whopping 74% of Lithium consumption is linked to batteries alone. ?

What makes Lithium so suitable for batteries?

1.??????Lightest metal – Being the lightest metal makes it the ideal choice for making batteries that could easily fit into portable electronics such as a smartphone making it super-slim and lightweight.

2.??????Highest electrochemical potential of all metals – Having high electrochemical potential means that Lithium can transport more energy than any other metal for the same amount of capacity or charge.

3.??????Highest energy density among all metals – Having high energy density means that Lithium can store more energy per unit than any other metal.

Why Lithium recycling?

Environment Conservation

• Ore mining, in general, has severe consequences for human health and native biodiversity.
• Extraction activities at saltwater lakes disturb natural habitats and ecosystems.
• Improper handling and disposal of toxic compounds while mining and extraction activities contribute to environmental pollution of land, air, and water.

Sustainability

• Increasing prices of Li2CO3, the commonly traded form of Lithium, in the global market.
• Increase in the adoption of lithium-battery-powered personal electronics, electronic vehicles (EVs), and ESS owing to the thrust on green energy.
• Expanding lithium-ion battery market.
• Growing demand for ESS and EV batteries. An EV battery requires approximately 20 kg of lithium and a 10 MWh ESS requires at least 700 kg of lithium.
• Lithium is an irreplaceable key component in lithium-ion batteries used in the cathode, electrolyte, and anode.

This will exhaust the Lithium reserves all over the world. Global Lithium shortages in the coming years have already been predicted and Lithium resources are depleting very swiftly.

So, we need a model of production and consumption that involves recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. This will not only have environmental benefits but also economic benefits.?

Stick around for our next article next week. Do share your suggestions or opinions in the comment section below.