Quest to Mine Seawater for Lithium Advances

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10. Rare Metals Supply and Demand

http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/problems/raremetals.html

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Rare Metals Supply and Demand[/font]
[font size=4]Will future supply be able to meet future demand?[/font]

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[font size=4]Lithium:[/font]

[font size=3]Over half of the world's lithium supply comes from the brines in Northern Chile.

As hybrid cars become more and more popular, the demand for lithium will increase due to lithium's critical role in the production of lightweight, efficient batteries. It is in the interest of electric car companies and industries creating these new technologies to promote the belief that lithium is in plentiful supply and will continue to be over the next 100 years, however some these reports exaggerate resources and overestimate the abilities of rising new technologies to replace lithium components with other more abundant elements (Evans, 2009). Thus, the future of lithium supply is not as plentiful as it would seem. Future supply levels are expected to be above or at future demand for the next four years. However, starting in late 2016, early 2017, lithium demand will grow much more than supply. Thus, new sources of supply and ways to reduce demand will need to be found for lithium.

Prediction for Supply and Demand of Lithium, Using Multiple Clean Energy Implementation Scenarios:


Source: Department of Energy, 2011

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