Enough Lithium for the future?

[PD1964]

  An interesting radio programme on BBC World Service The Inquiry, on the future of Lithium:
 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct1z38

Edited February 7, 2022 by PD1964

[StephenA]

Tons of it in the Cornish Tin mines apparently - they just need to get it out of the water

[ditchcrawler]

5 minutes ago, StephenA said:

Tons of it in the Cornish Tin mines apparently - they just need to get it out of the water

Bring back the steam powered beam engines

[Chris Lowe]

Geevor mine, an interesting place to visit.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by buccaneer66
images not working

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Recycling expired Li batteries should improve. More deposits will be found. Other battery chemistries with more common precursors may reach a stage where they replace Lithium. There is tremendous amounts of money and lots of very clever folk involved now. It is amazing how much progress can be made very quickly when money and brains are thrown at a problem.

In a few years time we will be dropping bombs on countries with lots of Lithium in the ground, instead of those with lots of oil.

What is available now for Lithium deposits isn't all that is there. I remember back in the 70's reading an environmentalist pamphlet claiming there was only 15 years of oil left. That was based on known reserves then. Now over 40 years later, not only have we not run out we have lots of oil fields we can never use without cooking the planet. Not that that fact seems to be stopping us.

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, buccaneer66 said:

Geevor mine, an interesting place to visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like its not very welcoming with all those "No Entry" signs !

[Chris Lowe]

21 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like its not very welcoming with all those "No Entry" signs !

 

It is actually the guides are ex miners and all friendly & ready for a chat, one told me when funds allow they are going to make the first level down safe so that visitors can go down in the cage, in the meantime a horizontal drift tunnel is open.

 

pretty much all the machiery and eqiupement is still there, only a small amount was removed after closure and the head gear and cage are still operational as they use it for inspections, so this one probably wouldn't hard to mine lithium from.

 

The tunnels are extensive and link up with the National Trust owned Levant mine along the coast.

 

Nice tea room as well.

[Alan de Enfield]

43 minutes ago, buccaneer66 said:

 

It is actually the guides are ex miners and all friendly & ready for a chat, one told me when funds allow they are going to make the first level down safe so that visitors can go down in the cage, in the meantime a horizontal drift tunnel is open.

 

pretty much all the machiery and eqiupement is still there, only a small amount was removed after closure and the head gear and cage are still operational as they use it for inspections, so this one probably wouldn't hard to mine lithium from.

 

The tunnels are extensive and link up with the National Trust owned Levant mine along the coast.

 

Nice tea room as well.

 

Maybe you are not seeing what I (and others ?) are seeing, your post has no picture, just several of these scattered across the big empty space 

 

 

[Chris Lowe]

8 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Maybe you are not seeing what I (and others ?) are seeing, your post has no picture, just several of these scattered across the big empty space 

 

 

I've redone them Alan, obviously linking to my Google Photos didn't work.

[IanD]

No nice blue skies when we were there in 2005... 😞

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by IanD

[Alan de Enfield]

53 minutes ago, buccaneer66 said:

I've redone them Alan, obviously linking to my Google Photos didn't work.

 

All fine now.

[peterboat]

There are two schemes to remove lithium one is pumped water the returned water is super hot and used for something else but it also brings up lithium as a bi product.  Second is breaking rocks with a new system I think 

[Mike Todd]

I read today that Lithium has risen 5 fold in price - and this before most of us have gone electric!

 

Another crisis in the making? And a chance for corporates to make even more?

[IanD]

6 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

I read today that Lithium has risen 5 fold in price - and this before most of us have gone electric!

 

Another crisis in the making? And a chance for corporates to make even more?

Maybe, in the short term 😞

 

This is one reason sodium-ion batteries are likely to take over a large part of the market in future, there's no shortage of sodium... 😉

[TheBiscuits]

6 minutes ago, IanD said:

This is one reason sodium-ion batteries are likely to take over a large part of the market in future, there's no shortage of sodium... 😉

 

I'd take that with a pinch of salt ...

[Hudds Lad]

2 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

I'd take that with a pinch of salt ...

 

It's a seasoned opinion ...

[Mike Todd]

2 hours ago, Hudds Lad said:

 

It's a seasoned opinion ...

But does it cut the mustard?

[Jim Riley]

Good news about Cornwall's lithium. 

Lots of employment for Cornish children. 

[peterboat]

1 hour ago, Jim Riley said:

Good news about Cornwall's lithium. 

Lots of employment for Cornish children. 

I have heard that they are shipping them down from Lancashire Jim 

[Jim Riley]

13 hours ago, peterboat said:

I have heard that they are shipping them down from Lancashire Jim 

Ah, word of the trade has got out then. Harvest them from over the border, sell them in  Cornwall. They aren't ideal, strong I'th arm but weak I'th 'ed. Arms a bit short too.

 

[peterboat]

14 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

Ah, word of the trade has got out then. Harvest them from over the border, sell them in  Cornwall. They aren't ideal, strong I'th arm but weak I'th 'ed. Arms a bit short too.

 

They will be ok Jim, they can stretch them at night on the rack!

[MartinC]

There are safer and environmentally friendly alternatives on the horizon https://www.ilika.com/

[George and Dragon]

Their Goliath cells are still lithium. I'm sure that they're working on cheaper, more common materials such as sodium.