A Comprehensive Guide to Green Solutions for the Lithium Industry

The lithium market is growing at an astounding pace. In just the last few years, this key source of electric batteries has become critical to the growth of a number of major companies. Much of this growth can be attributed to the rise in popularity of electric vehicles. However, as the demand for lithium-ion batteries continues to grow, so will the demand for high-quality lithium products.

For example, if you’re a car company looking to increase your production efficiency and cut down on costs, then investing in greening your production process is one way to do that. In this article, we’ll take you through a list of common green solutions for the lithium industry and how they can help you reduce emissions and produce safer Lithium-ion batteries.

According to a Mc Kinsey research, despite expectations that lithium demand will rise from approximately 500,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in 2021 to some three million to four million metric tons in 2030, they believe that the lithium industry will be able to provide enough product to supply the burgeoning lithium-ion battery industry. Currently, almost all lithium mining occurs in Australia, Latin America, and China (accounting for a combined 98 percent of production in 2020). 

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Sustainable Lithium Production

One of the more exciting things about the lithium industry is that it’s becoming more sustainable.

In fact, it’s on track to become the next “ Battery of the Future ” due to its green credentials. That’s great news for the environment and the health of people living around the globe. In order to stay competitive in a world of ever-increasing vehicle emissions, battery manufacturers are looking to both reduce emissions and improve the overall lifecycle of their products. One key way to do this is through sustainable manufacturing practices.

One of the most common misconceptions about green manufacturing practices is that companies are only focusing on emissions. In reality, these practices can help boost economic growth and create quality jobs. They can also help companies meet stricter government emissions regulations. One of the best ways to make sure that your products remain eco-friendly is to use sustainable raw materials whenever possible. What it means to extract and obtain lithium in a sustainable way.

Today, electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries are seen as one of the best green technologies required to lower CO2 emissions, helping to minimize the climate change. But the cathode materials within those batteries -mainly lithium, cobalt and nickel-, poses environmental concerns related to material exhaustion in addition to environmental, social and governance (ESSG) issues.

Aloetrade America LLC researched & developed in the last years, a range of different green and sustainable solutions for mining companies, which are fully applicable to lithium extraction and production process. Those plant based products are manufactured in Mexico, from where they are distributed in the United States and Canada via a warehouse located in McAllen, Texas and exported to the world through the Tampico port in Tamaulipas state, Mexico 

In lithium primary production, where there are an enormous amount of coagulants, flocculants, adsorbents and biocides required to complete the process, we offer eco friendly solutions for use in the extraction and refining process.

Which are our Green Solutions for the Lithium Extraction Industry?¹

Problem: Lithium Pollutes Water Sources

Most studies associate lithium mining in South America from salt brines with salinization of freshwater that the local people needs to survive. Since the mineral contains dangerous substances, the mining process may contaminate the local water reservoirs. 

Solution: Green and Sustainable Products

We offer products for water and waste water treatment to clean the used water, and other plant based solutions to regenerate the soil after lithium mining.

Problem:  Lithium Depletes Fertile Land

Large-scale lithium extraction projects require large land extensions. In some cases, mining companies have to take fertile pieces of land away from their local ecosystems. There are cases with forests in hot, dry, and mountainous areas, and other cases in dry and mountainous areas, where animals and plants requires such resources to survive. Lithium mining activities may destroy the habitats and minerals that plants require to grow, and create desertification in several parts of the world.

Solution: Green and Sustainable Products

We offer products for soil regeneration that turns affected areas in fertile land again.

Our products avoid desertification and helps the soil to regenerate after lithium mining took place.

Problem: Lithium Creates Unsustainable Water Table Reduction

Sustainable water table reduction ensures the availability of adequate water sources. The water table is the depth below which the ground is saturated. Lithium mining destroys the soil structure and leads to unsustainable water table reduction, depleting water resources in the medium and long term. The land becomes dry and ecosystems may extinguish.

Solution: Green and Sustainable Products

We offer products for soil regeneration that turns affected areas in fertile land again. Our products avoid desertification and helps the soil to regenerate.

Problem: Mining wastes

Lithium mining includes the separation of the valuable resources from the uneconomic resources. Typical mining wastes from lithium extraction are sulfuric acid discharges and radioactive uranium byproduct, both provoking cancer and diseases. Furthermore, large amount of lime and magnesium wastes bring more problems for the disposal.

Solution: Green and Sustainable Products

We offer various plant based products as coagulants, flocculants and adsorbents for these processes. We also offer products for soil regeneration that turns affected areas in fertile land again. 

Problem: Surface water contamination

Lithium extraction causes surface water contamination. It also destroys other water sources. So, it’s partly responsible for the creation of toxic rain.

Solution: Green and Sustainable Products

We offer products for water and waste water treatment to clean the used water, and other plant based solutions to regenerate the soil. 

Most chemical products used to precipitate out desirable products and byproducts can be discarded and replaced by our green and sustainable formulas.

Most chemical used for washing and drying of the lithium carbonate into a final product can be replaced by our green and sustainable products.

Chemicals used for brine purification to remove contaminants or unwanted elements may be replaced by our plant based formulations too.

If you’re interested in learning more about sustainable materials, check out this pages from Aloetrade America.

Batteries for Environmental Responsibility

One of the most important things a battery manufacturer can do is make sure that the batteries they sell have a good environmental footprint. That’s why it’s crucial to test the batteries you sell in real-world applications to ensure they’re safe and durable.

How does your battery storage system compare to the one pictured above? If you’re like most businesses, you likely use a centralized battery storage facility to keep your batteries safe and secure. Unfortunately, most battery storage systems produce carbon emissions during the manufacturing process.

To combat this, some battery companies are looking to the next generation of batteries – the non-supercapacitor batteries. These batteries use less power to store more energy and don’t produce as much waste during the manufacturing process. By implementing these new manufacturing practices, the average carbon footprint of a battery can be reduced by up to 50%.

In lithium battery manufacturing, the synthesis and electrochemical performance of CuO synthesized in Aloe Vera gel medium coated LiNiPO₄ exhibits higher stability than CuO prepared in water medium coated LiNiPO₄. The aloe-vera gel mediated CuO effectively reduces the particle size of LiNiPO₄ also it exhibits the good electrochemical performance which is examined with the help of charge/discharge analysis.

If you’re interested in Aloe Vera gel please check our specific pages.

Battery Recycling

As we’ve seen with the transition to electric vehicles, more and more people are choosing to ride electric vehicles (EVs) on a daily basis. That means there is a growing demand for Lithium-ion batteries.

Unfortunately, the demand for Lithium-ion batteries is driven by the sale of electric vehicles, so there is a great chance that you’ll end up recycling your old batteries when you buy new ones.

Conclusion

The lithium batteries industry is a big business that’s responsible for making a significant impact on the environment. It’s also one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States. The demand for high-quality, long-lasting Lithium-ion batteries is high, which means it’s important to ensure that they are being produced in a sustainable way.

One way to do this is to make sure that manufacturing companies using sustainable raw materials and implement efficient manufacturing processes. If you’re looking for ways to reduce emissions and make your products safer and more energy efficient, then look no further. We offer some green solutions for the lithium industry that surely will help you make strides towards sustainability.

1. Some references extracted from the article Lithium Extraction Environmental Impact