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In 2021, the lithium revenues were US$936.1 million. [15] The process involves pumping up lithium rich brine from below the ground into shallow pans. Water is evaporated thanks to the strong sun and dry air. [16] The brine contains many different dissolved ions, and as the concentration increases, salts precipitate out of solution and sink.
The lithium extraction process in Salar de Atacama begins with salty brine being pumped out of the ground and then put to rest in evaporation ponds so the remaining brine is slowly enriched in lithium. The evaporation pond stage takes usually 12 to 18 months which is the time it takes for it to reach a lithium concentration of 6%. [24]
Chile's Atacama salt flat is sinking at a rate of 1 to 2 centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) per year due to lithium brine extraction, according to a study by the University of Chile. The study used ...
In the Salar de Atacama in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile, lithium carbonate and hydroxide are produced from brine. [22] [23] The process pumps lithium rich brine from below ground into shallow pans for evaporation. The brine contains many different dissolved ions, and as their concentration increases, salts precipitate out of solution ...
There are concerns that lithium producers are drawing too much lithium-rich brine, or saltwater, from pools beneath the Atacama, the world's driest desert. A water fight in Chile's Atacama raises ...
The new plan seeks to employ direct lithium extraction (DLE) - a technology that promises to be more sustainable by reinjecting the brine back into the ground once the mineral is extracted.
The brine may be seawater, other surface water, groundwater, or hyper-saline solutions from several industries (e.g., textile industries). [1] It differs from solution mining or in-situ leaching in that those methods inject water or chemicals to dissolve materials which are in a solid state; in brine mining, the materials are already dissolved.
Chile is the main producer of lithium from brine. [14] Until 2017, when it was surpassed by Australia, Chile was the over-all main producer of lithium. [15] By one estimate Chile will be surpassed also by Argentina and China in lithium production by 2030. [15]