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Direct Lithium Extraction

Lithium Critical to the Energy Transition Is Coming at the Expense of Water

A new study finds that the mining and processing of the metal critical to EV batteries and renewable energy storage projects depletes and contaminates surface water, often in already vulnerable communities.

By Wyatt Myskow

At the Salton Sea in California, geothermal plants could soon also extract lithium from brine water contained deep in the ground. But local community members and environmentalists worry about the impacts the mining will have on local water supplies. Credit: EcoFlight
Trucks pump and haul spilled water away from a test mining drill site on March 8 in Green River, Utah. Residents are worried over how the Direct Lithium Extraction mine—and any spills caused by it—could impact local water supplies. Credit: Kelly Dunham

Mining Companies Say They Have a Better Way to Get Underground Lithium, but Skepticism Remains

By Wyatt Myskow

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