New Horizons In Lithium Sourcing & Extraction

Commercial-scale direct lithium extraction technologies present big opportunities for the battery industry — with big challenges still ahead

Surging demand for electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage are key drivers of what some are calling the "white gold" rush — the global race to source and refine lithium to feed the world's growing appetite for lithium-ion batteries. According to Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, demand for lithium has tripled since 2017, and it's expected to increase tenfold by 2050, resulting in a likely shortage as soon as the 2030s.

Concerns over lithium's environmental costs — including production processes that generate significant carbon dioxide emissions and consume staggering water resources — have many stakeholders considering new battery chemistries. However, with some of the most promising contenders (solid-state, silicon-anode, sodium-ion) still in development, and Li-ion batteries commercially