Lithium is one of the most important elements in the periodic table. Because it is lightweight and easily gains and loses ions, this material is essential for the batteries that power almost everything in our technological world.
But the importance of lithium is not limited to the iPhone. Lithium-6 (an isotope of the soft metal) is crucial for producing tritium, the hydrogen isotope at the heart of nuclear fusion. For these reasons – as well as the burgeoning electric vehicle revolution and the desperate need for green energy battery storage – the US government considers lithium (also called “white gold”) a critical mineral.
In other words, the world runs on lithium.
But for all its incredible advantages, lithium has some major drawbacks. For one thing, their highly reactive nature makes most lithium-ion batteries controlled bombs, hence the long lines at airport security checkpoints. It is also not easy to extract, as it is usually encased in igneous rocks and saltwater brines.
The world is hungry for more sources of lithium, and a new study from the Isotopic Characterization and Biogeochemistry of Geological Materials (IsoBioGeM) laboratory at West Virginia University has recently discovered another type of “gold” that could be an “unheard of” source of this precious mineral: pyrite, or known by its more derogatory nickname, “fool’s gold”.
After analyzing 15 samples of sedimentary rocks from the Appalachian Basin dating back to the Middle Devonian, almost 400 million years ago, what the scientists found surprised them. Within the pyrite minerals of the shale were sources of lithium. This means that organic-rich shale could have higher lithium concentrations than previously thought due to poorly understood interactions between lithium and pyrite. The scientists presented their findings on Monday at the EGU 2024 General Assembly.
“These initial findings suggest that pyrite, together with organic matter, may play a previously unknown role in the distribution of lithium in organic-rich shales,” reads the study’s abstract. “The geochemical processes that could cause pyrite-associated Li enrichments are not well understood…[pero] “Using material from previous industrial operations (e.g. mine tailings or drill cuttings) as a source of additional Li would be attractive as it would generate little or no new waste material.”
While finding a potentially new source of lithium is certainly exciting, this particular method would also be a very environmentally friendly option. Starting new lithium mines costs a lot – in time, money and environmental degradation – so extracting lithium from past and present oil and gas exploitations could further facilitate the transition from those fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases. greenhouse effect. This is because industrial mining operations, especially mine tailings and drill cuttings, could contain excess lithium deposits in the pyrite minerals left in the shale.
Despised for centuries, pyrite is now willing to accept our apologies.
Darren lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes/edits about sci-fi and how our world works. You can find his previous stuff from him at Gizmodo and Paste if you look hard enough.
