The transfer to electrical automobiles (EVs) has put stress on lithium provides. Based on the Worldwide Power Company (IEA), EV batteries accounted for about 60% of worldwide lithium demand in 2022. The IEA has warned that lithium mining and processing “might want to improve quickly to assist the power transition, not just for EVs however extra broadly to maintain up with the tempo of demand for clear power applied sciences.”

Whereas EVs are designed to sort out environmental issues, lithium extraction itself poses contemporary ones. Mining could cause soil erosion, disturb wildlife habitats and pollute water and air with chemical compounds and heavy metals. On high of that, conventional extraction processes are each water- and energy-intensive. “We basically will miss the chance EVs present with out different strategies of manufacturing extra lithium, sooner,” says Adam Le Dain, Vice President of Technique and Company Improvement at Summit Nanotech.