Estimated lithium reserves would be more than 9 times what’s needed to meet projected global lithium demand in 2030 for EV batteries
A new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found a large amount of lithium reserves in southwestern Arkansas that could help meet rising demand for lithium in electric vehicle car batteries.
USGS worked with the Arkansas Department of Energy and the Environment’s Office of the State Geologist to examine a geological unit known as the Smackover Formation to determine the amount of lithium in brines that are co-produced during oil and gas exploration.
The study estimated that there are between 5 million and 19 million tons of lithium reserves present in the formation. While that estimate was of the amount of lithium in place and didn’t assess how much of that is technically recoverable, if the reserves can be recovered commercially, the low-end estimate of 5 million tons would be enough to meet the world’s projected 2030 demand for lithium batteries in electric vehicles nine times over.
Lithium is a critical mineral that has seen global demand surge in recent years, a trend that’s expected to continue as the transition from fossil fuels to electric and hybrid vehicles accelerates in the years ahead given its use in rechargeable EV batteries. The mineral is also used in the production of glass and aluminum products, and it can be found in portable electronic devices, electric tools and has energy grid storage applications.
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“Our research was able to estimate total lithium present in the southwestern portion of the Smackover in Arkansas for the first time. We estimate there is enough dissolved lithium present in that region to replace U.S. imports of lithium and more,” said Katherine Knierim, a hydrologist and the study’s principal researcher.