In this episode of H2O and Beyond, I’m joined by Dr. Michael McKibben from UC Riverside to explore and learn more about lithium, its environmental impacts, and the future of the lithium market in the US.

Traditional lithium extraction is very harmful to the environment. In the case of the salars in South America, they pump brine from underground into these large ponds where the sun evaporates and concentrates lithium and other metal ions in the water. This depletes groundwater levels and harms surrounding ecosystems.

The Salton Sea is seen as a potential hotspot for a more environmentally friendly method of lithium extraction called DLE (Direct Lithium Extraction) and if tapped into, could help the US become self-dependent in the lithium market.

0:00 Intro

4:04 Introduction to lithium

6:55 Where does lithium currently come from?

9:16 Extraction methods

12:26 Environmental concerns

14:24 Community impacts

15:28 Salton Sea and geothermal brine lithium extraction

23:02 Importance of domestic lithium production

25:32 Challenges of Salton Sea lithium extraction

30:18 How far are we from seeing USA lithium take off?

31:50 How much lithium is available in the USA?

33:13 Environmental impacts of geothermal brine extraction

36:24 Current research in the field

38:13 Closing

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Learn more about Dr. McKibben’s work!https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-mckibben-1012b69/