France is going back to the mines. President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday visited a facility in central France run by Imerys, the leading French producer of industrial minerals and which is spearheading a major lithium mining project for battery production. The project promises to create hundreds of jobs and comes as France seeks to ensure its own energy sovereignty. Source link
Independent lab testing has found traces of hexavalent chromium — a known carcinogen — along with arsenic and elevated levels of lithium in wastewater discharged from Tesla’s nearly $1 billion lithium refinery in Robstown, Texas. The Nueces County Drainage District No. 2, which manages the ditch receiving Tesla’s 231,000-gallon daily discharge, has issued a cease-and-desist letter demanding the company halt its wastewater flow pending further discussion. The findings are particularly notable because when Tesla unveiled the Robstown refinery earlier this year, it touted the facility’s “acid-free” process as a cleaner alternative to traditional lithium refining. The company claimed its alkaline leach method produces benign byproducts — sand and limestone materials suitable for concrete — rather than the hazardous sodium sulfate waste typical of conventional acid-roasting operations. What the testing found The lab results, generated by accredited environmental testing firm Eurofins Environment Testing on April 10, paint a detailed picture of the refinery’s wastewater composition. A 24-hour composite sample collected on April 7 revealed: Advertisement – scroll for more content Hexavalent chromium measured at 0.0104 mg/L …
Photo: Mangrove Lithium Mangrove Lithium has opened what it says is North America’s first commercial electrochemical lithium refinery, a 1,000-tonne-per-year plant in Delta, British Columbia, aimed at strengthening the continent’s EV battery supply chain. The new site – known as the Single Stack Plant (SSP) – is Mangrove’s first commercial lithium-refining facility and its new headquarters. The company marked the opening with a ribbon-cutting in Delta. Most of the world’s lithium is still refined overseas, which creates bottlenecks and price volatility. As EV adoption ramps up, North America has been racing to bring more of that supply chain closer to home. Mangrove’s approach is different from traditional lithium refining. The company uses a proprietary electrochemical process to convert extracted lithium into battery-grade material, which it says is more economical, flexible, and sustainable than conventional chemical methods. Advertisement – scroll for more content At full capacity, the Delta plant can produce enough battery-grade lithium to support around 25,000 EVs per year. The facility is also a first step toward a larger goal of building a fully …
US researchers have demonstrated a technique that converts waste PFAS captured by granular activated carbon into a resource for lithium recovery, offering potential environmental and efficiency advantages. Scientists have developed a new approach to lithium extraction that repurposes problematic chemical pollutants known as PFAS to recover lithium from high-salinity brines. The technique, reported in the journal Nature Water, could provide an alternative pathway for producing lithium used in batteries while simultaneously addressing a persistent waste challenge. The research was conducted by a team at Rice University led by postdoctoral researcher Yi Cheng under the direction of James Tour. James Tour and Yi Cheng, the corresponding and first authors on this manuscript. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University Instead of focusing solely on removing PFAS – short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – from the environment, the scientists explored whether these fluorine-rich compounds could be used productively in industrial processes. Their findings suggest that PFAS captured during environmental cleanup could help drive lithium recovery from brine resources, potentially reducing both waste and the environmental footprint associated with lithium …
A once-daily dose of a medication, which averaged 195 mg, produced blood levels significantly lower than those typically pursued by psychiatrists. However, it succeeded in generating a weak signal concerning the potential influence on memory performance. This is the essence of a two-year placebo-controlled clinical trial studying the effects of low-dose lithium therapy on memory performance in older adults who have mild cognitive impairment. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine conducted the study, which utilized repeated cognitive assessments, neuroimaging data, and blood-based biomarkers to monitor participants over time. The results were published in JAMA Neurology. Lithium has been used for many years as a medication for patients with bipolar disorder. This study examined a different question. It asked how effective long-term therapy with low doses of lithium might be in slowing the decline of memory and cognitive function in individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, which is often identified before the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. An Existing Medication But with an Alternate Purpose Ariel Gildengers, PhD, was the principal investigator of this clinical trial. …
By Dnn87 – Self-photographed, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3215855 Global lithium demand could top 13 million tonnes by 2050 if the world moves fast on clean energy, according to Wood Mackenzie’s latest Energy Transition Outlook for Lithium. The warning is blunt: Without major new investment, lithium shortages could start as early as 2028. “The lithium market is heading into a supply crunch much sooner than many industry players expect,” said Allan Pedersen, research director at Wood Mackenzie. “Under ambitious climate scenarios, we see deficits emerging from 2028. The industry needs to act now, as governments progress policies toward Net Zero.” EVs are driving the surge Wood Mackenzie modeled four energy transition pathways. By 2050, lithium demand ranges from 5.6 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in a delayed transition to 13.2 million tonnes in a net zero scenario. Source: Wood Mackenzie Here’s how the supply picture changes depending on how fast the world electrifies: Advertisement – scroll for more content Delayed Transition: The market stays balanced until around 2037 before tipping into deficit. Base Case: Existing …
Earlier news from Bloomberg that Zimbabwe has suspended exports of lithium concentrates and raw minerals to force miners into local processing has caught the attention of Goldman analyst James McGeoch. He sees a potential trading opportunity in a mineral-exploration company that could be positioned for upside. Let’s begin with the report that Mines Minister Polite Kambamura told reporters earlier that the export ban is effective immediately until further notice. Zimbabwe has one of the largest lithium reserves in Africa and is among the top global producers. Zimbabwe Suspends Export of Raw Minerals and Lithium Concentrates. Mines Minister Hon. Dr. P. Kambamura has ordered the immediate suspension of all exports of raw minerals and lithium concentrates, including consignments already in transit, to enforce in-country value addition… pic.twitter.com/acX0CmntoX — Zimbabwe Economic Review (@ZimbabweReview) February 25, 2026 IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION OF EXPORT OF RAW MATERIALS AND LITHIUM CONCENTRATES The Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Hon. Dr. P. Kambamura (MP), has announced an immediate suspension on the export of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates, effective immediately.… pic.twitter.com/Mw1Ua4yfIl — …
The world’s largest producer of lithium metal, Ganfeng Lithium, has reportedly begun mass-producing semi-solid-state batteries with an impressive energy density of 650 Wh/kg. The lithium giant has supply deals with Tesla, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and several other major OEMs for key EV battery materials. Ganeng Lithium advances solid-state EV batteries Ganfeng is China’s largest lithium compounds producer and the world’s leading lithium metals manufacturer. It accounts for roughly 45% of the global lithium metal market and 70% in China. The company has secured deals with Tesla, Hyundai, BMW, Volkswagen, and several leading Chinese automakers to supply key EV battery materials. Most recently, Ganfeng and Hyundai signed a four-year deal to supply lithium hydroxide, a critical raw material for EV batteries. Advertisement – scroll for more content Ganfeng offers a full range of lithium battery products, including solid-state batteries and lithium iron phosphate for EVs, energy storage systems, industrial equipment, and more. In its latest milestone, company officials announced a new lithium-hybrid semi-solid-state battery with an energy density of 400-650 Wh/kg. According to China’s Autohome, the new …
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Lithium button cells can cause severe injury or death if swallowed. Many makers coat their batteries in a bitter substance to discourage ingestion. Energizer has now added a marker dye to make it easier to spot ingestion. Lithium button cell (sometimes called coin cell) batteries are everywhere, from car key fobs to AirTags. And while they seem innocent enough, if ingested, they can cause severe injury from esophageal or airway damage in less than two hours, which can, in the worst cases, result in death. Also: Using rechargeable batteries in your AirTags is not a smart idea – here’s why Each year in the US alone, some 3,500 button cells are swallowed, mostly by children. I’ve encountered one such injury myself, and seen a number of examples in first aid training materials, and it is no joke. Making button cells safer requires two things: preventing accidental ingestion and being able to spot if a button cell has been ingested. For a few …
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways It’s rare for a rechargeable battery to cause problems for the user. Some 1,500 fires and 5,000 overheating incidents are attributed to rechargeable batteries yearly. Don’t use any gadget that’s damaged or showing signs of overheating. Rechargeable batteries are everywhere. Stop what you’re doing and think about all the things in your life right now that contain a rechargeable battery — the laptops, smartphones, tablets, power banks, smart doorbells, and surveillance cameras. And don’t forget to count your wearables: smartwatches, earbuds, and smart rings all contain rechargeable batteries. Then there are the batteries that we put to our mouths and suck on — the ones inside e-cigarettes and vapes. Also: I tested a solid-state portable battery for a week – now lithium-ion feels outdated And don’t forget that portable power station you have in the garage. That thing is literally a box filled with rechargeable batteries. I’m betting that you have quite a few. Right now, I have about a half a …
