Lithium brine, increasingly sought to fulfil global climate goals, has challenged humanity’s attempts to classify and regulate the natural world. When Chilean citizens overwhelmingly voted in October to rewrite their dictatorship-era constitution, they set the stage for a dramatic reassessment of the coastal nation’s relationship with the environment, a move which many believe will unsettle mining companies. This, they believe, will grant Indigenous groups more authority over their resources and protect a delicate ecosystem. But backed by growing evidence that brine extraction may reduce freshwater supply, advocates want to classify brine as water. With brine regulated as a mineral, the government retains ownership and allows private companies to manage their own operations. It’s a point of contention that has fuelled a conflict between local groups and companies over the importance of a water resource in one of the world’s driest deserts. Ingrid Garcés Millas, a chemical engineering professor at the nearby University of Antofagasta, refers to this process as “water mining.” But in the government’s eyes, the brine is a mineral. In colossal pools under the power of the sun, the water evaporates out of the brine, leaving behind white salts that are sold into international markets. At the salt flat, two companies pump out brine from below the surface. As mining projects there expand to meet skyrocketing demand, they have met resistance from Indigenous communities that surround the salt flat, and from regulators who are trying to understand a one-of-a-kind water cycle.Ĭhile’s lithium ends up in ceramics, lubricants, and most often, batteries, but the metal first enters balance sheets as a super-salty liquid. Beneath the Atacama Salt Flat, a Rhode Island-sized expanse of salts, a major source of lithium is locked in an underground reservoir. That is, if it can be mined fast enough.īut in Chile, scientists are finding that the rapid rate of removal may be disrupting water availability in the surrounding desert. It’s a key element in the batteries that experts say could guide us to zero-emission electricity and transportation. The metal is found just about everywhere, even in small traces in drinking water. L ithium is one of Earth’s most widespread elements. Featured image: Salar de Atacama – the Atacama Salt Flat.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |