With more and more companies and manufacturers focusing on reducing our carbon footprint, the need for lithium-ion batteries has increased.
Historically, a substantial portion of the world’s supply of lithium has been mined from Australia and Chile. Demand for the mineral, at current is slated at approximately 32.5 kilotons per year, per Futurism’s August 16th article. According to the same article, experts also suggest that the demand will grow to as much as 35 megatons of lithium by 2050. Data provided by the US Geological survey supports this increased demand for the mineral; lithium production increased by 12% between 2015-2016.
Stanford University announced yesterday that a new, unanticipated, source for lithium has been discovered: supervolcanoes.
Scientists discovered that lithium was present in the volcanic magma in craters left by supervolcanoes in Oregon, Nevada.
Although the amount of lithium uncovered is viable, the discovery still opens doors to another source of the in-demand mineral in North America.
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