This paper argues for the need to rethink lithium mining and, more broadly, for the so-called sustainable development policies grounded upon it, especially in Chile. Based on perspectives from integral ecology and Pope Francis’ critique of the...
This paper presents a discussion on Quebec’s pegmatite lithium resources and potential markets. It also evaluates the opportunities of lithium battery production for electric vehicles (EV) in the province while reducing greenhouse gas emissions...
Lepidolite deposits are rare-metal deposits in which lepidolite is the principal industrial mineral. Owing to thin overburden and widespread open-pit mining, their exploitation supports raw material supply for the new energy industry but also continu...
Geotechnical slope failures—often precursors to catastrophic landslides and collapses—pose significant risks to mining operations and regional socioeconomic stability. Focusing on the Jiangte Xikeng lithium open-pit mine, this study integ...
Lithium, a silver-white alkali metal, with significantly high energy density, has been exploited for making rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LiBs). They have become one of the main energy storage solutions in modern electric cars (EVs). Cobalt, ni...
Currently, the use of lithium as a resource in the manufacturing of technological components such as mobile phones, computers or even in the automotive sector, is in high demand. In this sense, the prospects for lithium open-pit mines in order to obt...
To use lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs in the supply systems of any electric mining equipment and/or machines, the required conditions of work safety must be met. This applies in particular to coal mines endangered by fire and/or explosion. To m...
As lithium demand increases, lithium brine from hyper-arid salt flats is becoming increasingly important, although there are concerns about its extraction’s impact on the local water balance. Water footprinting could address these impacts, yet...
Global critical mineral production patterns differ markedly across the metals needed for advanced energy technologies. This study examines the extraction and processing landscape, in the year 2024, of six key commodities—lithium, cobalt, alumin...
27 December 2022
As a large number of new energy is employed as the driving force for the operation and transportation machinery of underground space projects, the lithium battery load in confined spaces, such as working faces, roadways and tunnels increases in geome...
Background: Lithium is an essential commodity; however, its mining and processing can expose miners to airborne contaminants such as inhalable dust, respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica. These exposures may adversely affect respiratory h...
This paper explores the implementation of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in underground mining operations, focusing on their benefits, challenges, and safety considerations. The study examines the shift from traditional diesel-powered machinery to...
The rapid increase in lithium demand has recently drawn attention to the environmental impacts of conventional mining processes. Pyrometallurgical extraction from hard rock is associated with high energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a...
The extraction of lithium from salt flats such as the Salar de Atacama (SdA) has raised concerns about its potential impact on the local water balance. This study evaluates the possibility of including localized mining impacts on groundwater tables,...
Using lithium batteries to supply electric machinery and/or equipment in underground mines requires an adequate level of security. This is particularly important in coal mines, especially under the threat of methane explosions and/or fire hazards. Li...
Large-scale introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) to the market sets outstanding requirements for battery performance to extend vehicle driving range, prolong battery service life, and reduce battery costs. There is a growing need to accurately and...
To transition to carbon neutrality by the year 2050, copper, lithium, rare earths, cobalt, nickel, and silver are essential due to their use in the manufacture of electric cars, lithium batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, motors, and electrical w...
Lithium, as a Li-ion battery constituent, is pivotal for the transition to clean energy. Western Australia (WA) has become a global leader in hard-rock lithium mining, realising 10-fold growth from 2010 to 2024 and with royalty receipts to the WA gov...
Highly differentiated granite often contains abundant key metal resources, such as lithium and rubidium. The Tengchong area of Yunnan hosts a large number of highly differentiated granites from the Cretaceous age. Among these, granite samples from th...
The present study aimed to estimate the contribution of the mining and mineral processing steps of lithium concentrate production in Brazil to the Global Warming Potential (GWP100) using an LCA perspective. No previous national study was identified t...
26 May 2017
The South East of Ireland (County Carlow) contains a deposit of the valuable lithium-bearing mineral spodumene (LiAl(SiO3)2). This resource has recently attracted interest and abstractive mining in the area is a possibility for the future. The open c...
Lithium’s (Li) value has grown exponentially since the development of Li-ion batteries. It is usually accessed in one of two ways: hard rock mineral mining or extraction from mineral-rich brines. Both methods are expensive and require a rich source o...
Lithium has emerged as a key commodity in the clean energy transition, with demand for the mineral set to soar as low-carbon technologies grow more advanced and widely deployed. Under the motto of the energy transition and a decarbonization of the ec...
The rapid growth of battery energy storage and electric vehicles has increased lithium demand and intensified the attention given to the environmental performance of alternative extraction pathways. Conventional life cycle assessments (LCA) of lithiu...
The increasing demand for lithium (Li), cobalt (Co), and rare earth elements (REEs) driven by battery technologies, electrification and renewable energy systems has intensified the interest in recovery pathways as an alternative to conventional minin...
Bipolar Disorder (BD), a chronic mental illness, does not have an ideal treatment, and patients with BD have a higher chance of being diagnosed with alcohol abuse, liver disease, and diabetes. The goal of treatment is to prevent a relapse in BD episo...
The lithium-ion battery (LIB) has the advantages of high energy density, low self-discharge rate, long cycle life, fast charging rate and low maintenance costs. It is one of the most widely used chemical energy storage devices at present. However, th...
The use of wastes is necessary to contribute to environmental sustainability. In this study, ore mining tailings were used as the raw material and precursor for the synthesis of LTA zeolite, a value-added product. Pre-treated mining tailings were sub...
The article presents and discusses the results of research on hazard, especially temperature, for selected lithium-ion-phosphate cells operated in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations but used under onerous mining conditions. This appli...
Strategic lithium resources are critical to national security and have attained heightened importance in contemporary geopolitical, economic, and military contexts. Persistent geochemical anomalies of lithium were first identified in coal-bearing cla...
As lithium demand surges and primary resources face depletion, lithium-bearing wastewater from urban mines has become a crucial secondary resource. For highly alkaline (pH 9–12), low-lithium (Li+ 0.5–5 g/L), high-sodium (Na/Li mass ratio...
Anthropogenic mineral residues are characterized by their material complexity and heterogeneity, which pose challenges to the chemical analysis of multiple elements. However, creating an urban mine knowledge database requires data using affordable an...
The accurate prediction of battery state of charge (SOC) is one of the critical technologies for the safe operation of a power battery. Aiming at the problem of mine power battery SOC prediction, based on the comparative experiments and analysis of p...
A zeolitic sample, named MT-ZLSH, was synthesized using mining tailings (MT) as the precursor material, resulting in a structure comprising: Linde type A (LTA) and sodalite-hydroxysodalite (ZLSH). This naming convention reflects the material’s...
Coal and coal by-products are considered as the potential raw materials for critical elements (e.g., rare earth elements, Li, Ga, Ge, etc.), which have attracted much attention in recent years. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mineralo...
Lithium (Li) mining is one of the most critical strategic resources for sustainable development in the world. However, sources of heavy metals in Li mining have received limited attention. To explore the features and origins of heavy metals in Li min...
This paper presents the zonal geochemistry and elasticity characteristics of gallium- and lithium-rich No. 6 coalbed in the Haerwusu mine and discusses interpretation methodologies of coal-hosted gallium and lithium resources using lab-measured sampl...
Lithium (Li) is an important strategic resource, and with the increasing demand for Li, there are some limitations in the exploitation and utilization of conventional deposits such as the pegmatite-type and brine-type Li deposits. Therefore, it has b...
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely utilized in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and large-scale energy storage systems due to their high energy density and long lifespan. Accurately estimating the state of health (SOH) and predicting the...
The study of lithium (Li), gallium (Ga), and rare earth elements (REY) within coal-bearing strata represents a cutting-edge concern in coal geology, ore deposit studies, and metallurgy research. With the rapid advancement of technology and emerging i...
Reaching the end of their lifecycle, lithium-ion batteries contain significant amounts of lithium residues as well as valuable metals such as Co, Ni, and Mn, presenting both environmental risks and opportunities for resource recovery. Recent advances...
The inhibiting mechanism of high pH on the molybdenite flotation was studied using an experimental and DFT method. The experimental results found that adverse effects of pH on molybdenite flotation should be attributed to the adsorption of OH−...
This study investigates the synergistic effects of hybrid fibers and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the mechanical and microstructural properties of lithium slag–based geopolymers (FL-EGC). Unlike conventional studies...
Considering the quest to meet both sustainable development and energy security goals, we explore the ramifications of explosive growth in the global demand for lithium to meet the needs for batteries in plug-in electric vehicles and grid-scale energy...
Advancements in mine tailings treatment technology have increased the use of superfine tailings, but their extremely fine particle size and high specific surface area limit the performance of superfine tailings cemented paste backfill (STCPB). This s...
To investigate the mechanism of polypropylene fiber (PPF) on the rheological and thixotropic properties of cemented paste backfill containing mineral admixtures, the concept of water film thickness (WFT) was introduced. The packing density of the tai...
Mullite (3Al2O3·2SiO2) is an aluminosilicate characterized by excellent physical properties, which makes it an important ceramic material. In this way, ceramics based on mullite find applications in different technological fields as refractory materi...
Powertrain electrification is bound to pave the way for the decarbonization process and pollutant emission reduction of the automotive sector, and strong attention should hence be devoted to the electrical energy storage system. Within such a framewo...
As one of the main fossil fuels globally, coal can be enriched with a variety of critical metal elements in specific geological conditions. This paper investigates the mineral compositions and concentrations of major and minor element oxides and trac...
The reclamation of exhausted open-pit coal mines is an energy-intensive and costly process. Traditional methods offer no economic return. This study explores the feasibility of using autonomous electric dump trucks (EDTs) to fill the pit, leveraging...
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