A new lithium deposit in the USA could have a lasting impact on world trade. (Source: cebbi via pixabay)
To produce batteries and accumulators, companies need one material in particular: the light metal lithium is one of the most important raw materials in the technology industry.
The production of lithium has increased since 2016 more than doubled – A further doubling is expected to take place by 2030.
Newly found resources are celebrated accordingly: Last month there was one in Australia significant increase
of the proven lithium deposits.
A new discovery in the USA is now supposedly setting records: According to the portal Chemistry World There is said to be a huge deposit of the sought-after metal on the border between the states of Nevada and Oregon.
More precisely, this is located in the volcanic crater McDermitt Caldera, which is said to have been formed by a magma eruption around 16.4 million years ago. A lake formed in the crater, in which a layer of lithium-containing sediment about 182 meters thick was deposited.
This layer was enriched by further eruptions over millions of years, creating an extremely lithium-rich clay called illite.
The advantage of illite: Illite is easy to break down into its individual elements, which makes lithium mining faster, more effective and more environmentally friendly.
As Anouk Borst, a Danish geology expert, explains in the report, the find is a very, very, significant lithium deposit
if the estimates are correct.
No wonder, after all, there are said to be up to 40 million tons of the raw material here – which would make the McDermitt Caldera the undisputed frontrunner. To date, the largest known deposits are in Bolivia and Argentina with around 21 and 20 million tonnes respectively.
Global Impact: According to Borst, the sheer size of the deposit could also have an impact on the global market if the quantity is confirmed: the dynamics of lithium in the global market would thereby be influenced in favor of cheaper prices and greater security of supply.
In this case, we as end consumers would not have to worry that the prices for smartphones, smartwatches, etc. will increase in the foreseeable future, at least with regard to batteries.
What do you think of the lithium discovery in the USA – does it give us more peace of mind or should we look for other alternatives anyway? Let us know in the comments!
