alt Hacker NewsThat's nice that they're recyclable.
What's the runoff from the chemical processing to make the batteries like?
Or does it not matter if you poison great swathes of China?
Replies
nicoburns • yesterday at 8:29 PM
You think the Oil and Gas industry is cleaner?
Recylable is important because it means we don't have to mine as much.
gcanyon • yesterday at 8:29 PM
Oh good lord -- cite something real, or stop fear-mongering.
> great swathes of China?
What's the total acreage of lithium extraction ponds in China today?
As distinct, of course, from the artificial lake of sludge known as the Weikuang Dam, four square miles in size, holding rare earth processing sludge waste in Baotou (Inner Mongolia) which is not from lithium processing.
What percentage of China's land area do these tailing ponds amount to, is "great swathes" really a fair estimate?
Do you think that acreage will drop with the current rise in Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE: new technique that skips traditional evaporation ponds, using filters or membranes to pull lithium directly from brine. It's faster, uses less water, and works in areas with lower brine lithium concentrations.) ?
What's your worksheet on waste from fossil fuels V waste from battery production looking like, is it online for others to look at ?