While EVs are receiving a lot of attention, lithium, the vital component of EV batteries, deserves our attention. How much do we actually know about this important element?
Source: Charges EVs
In the Salal-Haimana region of the Rasai district, in Jammu and Kashmir, the Geological Survey of India discovered a deposit of 5.9 metric million tonnes of high-quality lithium deposits earlier this year. This is wonderful news for India, which now imports everything. It will be difficult to remove it without damaging the ecologically delicate area.Wells are located and scanned based on geological and geophysical information.
An abandoned well is one that is empty or that produces water instead of oil. Even oil-depleted wells are abandoned. In the past, oil firms did not value water-bearing wells; instead, they considered them a hassle. Water-bearing wells may now be important sources of lithium thanks to new technology. It is deemed commercially viable to extract lithium from salty water if it contains between 0.3 and 7 g of lithium per liter.
Numerous firms are creating strategies to extract lithium straight from salt water. Even a very small percentage of lithium can be recovered from saline water using techniques like ion imprinted membrane, ion sieve membrane, membrane distillation crystallization, and membrane capacitive deionization.
Source: Dhruv Rathee
It offers a traditional mining method that is more environmentally friendly. In the event that a breakthrough is made, direct lithium extraction from brine in defunct oil wells may completely change the lithium mining business because it poses less of a threat to the environment. Many private businesses have entered this market and are creating success tales. Early in 2022, a Canadian business that extracts lithium acquired abandoned oil wells in Saskatchewan and has since extracted around 6,000 tonnes of lithium.
Another Canadian company is putting a method it invented to generate lithium from oil field brines and salt water on the market. By working with private businesses, the French government has supported initiatives to manufacture lithium worth billions of dollars. The funding for increased lithium production has begun in all oil-producing nations. India must also use its national oil corporations and think broadly about lithium extraction. The way forward is through joint ventures with businesses that specialize in this field.
India must fully commit to creating lithium from mines, saltwater, saline water from hot springs, and brine in defunct oil wells if it wants to join the group of nations that produce the metal. India is well-positioned to lead this battle for energy thanks to its resources and capabilities. We must wait and see if it will jump.
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