The mining ministry recently announced the discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium deposits in Jammu and Kashmir. Sooner or later, India will begin the mining process in the region, moving forward with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ motto, but there are large-scale concerns over lithium extraction around the world.
Researchers have, time and again, highlighted major environmental concerns related to the process, which results in common side effects like water loss, ground destabilisation, loss of biodiversity, increased salinity of rivers, contaminated soil and toxic waste.
It was recently reported in Germany that if lithium is extracted in the Upper Rhine Valley, which apparently has one of the largest lithium reserves in Europe, earthquakes will certainly occur more frequently. Since the location of the deposits in India is Jammu and Kashmir, which is in the seismic zone IV and V, it is important to understand if sustainable mining technologies should be considered to avoid hazards like ground collapse or landslides and even earthquakes.
An alternative solution
In the US, the energy department and companies like Rio Tinto, as well as automotive giant General Motors, are looking into some new mining technologies. For example, automakers, mining corporations and investors are investing millions of dollars in companies with direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies.
While some experts believe that this new mining technique can be a gamechanger, particularly in lithium extraction and can challenge traditional miners, DLE technologies have caused worries about high water and energy consumption.
Additionally, another company, backed by Bill Gates-owned Breakthrough Energy Ventures and BMW, has developed and patented the first cutting-edge, high-performance and eco-friendly lithium extraction process in the world.
Mining in India
The CEO of e-waste company Attero, Nitin Gupta, explained to News18 about hazards related to lithium mining. He said to generate 1 tonne of lithium, more than 5,00,000 gallons of water is needed and that causes numerous social and ecological problems.
“It usually takes four years after prospecting for a mine to start production and that is also only after the studies confirm that the cost of mining is reasonable, which depends on the quality of the mine,” he said, while talking about the mining scenario in India.
Meanwhile, Aditya Vikram, founder of Renon India, said DLE technologies could potentially reduce the environmental impact of lithium production as they use less water, energy and chemicals than traditional brine or hard-rock mining. But such technologies were still in the early stages of development and their commercial viability and scalability were yet to be fully demonstrated, he said.
“Indian companies, such as Hindustan Zinc Limited and National Aluminium Company, are exploring opportunities to invest in lithium mining and processing but it’s unclear if they are specifically investing in DLE technologies or eco-friendly mining methods,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dhirendra Mishra, senior manager, Growth Advisory at global research and analytics firm Aranca, said: “While the DLE process uses a large quantity of water for mining, around 98% of it is recycled, thus alleviating concerns related to water wastage.”
So, according to him, the DLE technology is more sustainable than other mining technologies but its adoption is limited to a few mines as of now. In terms of India, he said no company was currently using the DLE method.
Even a spokesperson from a global engineering and technology company, Commtel Networks, also said as per their academic understanding, “we don’t know about any company that is into DLE” in India.
Moreover, Mishra said there was no significant investment directly by an Indian company in DLE technology. He also said while some Indian companies had partnered or invested in lithium-extracting companies globally, these investments were focused on lithium supply and not on extraction technology.
“Since the Indian government is committed to sustainability and reduction in emission, it might award the mining contract to a company that commits to a sustainable or eco-friendly mining method. Also, given the recent natural calamities across the world, including India, the focus should be on the usage of a sustainable method for mining lithium,” he added.
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