There’s a Better Way to Mine Lithium — At Least in Theory

There’s a Better Way to Mine Lithium — At Least in Theory

Lithium isn’t like most minerals.Unlike other battery metals such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese, which are mined from hard-rock ores using drills and explosives, the majority of the world’s lithium resources are found in underground reservoirs of extremely salty water, known as brine. And while hard-rock mining does play a major role in lithium extraction — the majority of the world’s actual production still comes from rocks — brine mining is…