Resource Dangers: Rare Earth Elements and Lithium

RESOURCE DANGERS: RARE EARTH ELEMENTS AND LITHIUM

Resources for the green economy have their drawbacks. We describe here two examples: rare earth elements and lithium. (See our earlier article on cobalt.)

Rare earths: Rare earth elements (REEs) consist of scandium (atomic#21), yttrium (atomic#39) and the 15 elements of the Lanthanide series (atomic #57 to #71) from lanthanum to lutetium. They are crucial for TV and computer displays, smart phones, LED lights, catalytic converters, fluorescent lights, and low toxicity batteries. REEs are not rare in the earth’s crust, but they are rare in mineable concentrations. China currently produces 85-95% of the world’s REEs. Mining REEs is mostly done by open-pit methods. This results in devastation of large areas, harmful dust, and leach pools and water contamination. Also, REEs are often found together with toxic radioactive elements such as thorium.

Lithium: Lithium (atomic#2) is an extremely light metallic element, the main reserves of which are found in the Atacama Desert area where Chile, Bolivia and Argentina meet. It is mainly used for lithium-ion batteries in cellphones, laptops and electric cars. (The battery of a Tesla Model S contains 12kg of lithium.) Mining of lithium also results in environmental degradation, in particular water depletion and contamination. It takes 2.2 million liters of water to produce one ton of lithium. Another problem with lithium is that lithium-ion batteries can catch fire when exposed to heat.

(Sources: US Coast and Geodetic Survey fact sheet 2014-3078; www.euronews.com/green, 11/21/22; Harvard International Review, 8/12/21.}