Experts Warn That Lithium Extraction from Salt Water in the Atacama Desert Could Threaten Life in the Region as it evaporates tons of water in one of the driest places on Earth.
As the sun sets over the Atacama Desert in Chile, workers begin operating drilling machines to extract saltwater and measure lithium content.
Lithium is a crucial mineral for the global energy transition, but it still has negative environmental impacts.
The demand for lithium, a key component in electric vehicle batteries, has surged in recent years as the world seeks to phase out fossil fuels to mitigate global warming.
As part of the “lithium triangle” of Latin America, along with Argentina and Bolivia, Chile is working to reclaim its position as the world’s leading lithium producer.
Salt flats in the Atacama Desert at the lithium plant Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile. (Source: NRDC).
At the Aguilar and La Isla salt flats in the Altoandinos region of the Atacama Desert—at elevations of 3,400 meters and 4,400 meters respectively—sampling of saltwater is being rushed to measure lithium levels.
Ivan Mlynarz, Executive Vice President of the national mining company Enami, stated that the saltwater extraction drilling is conducted “around the clock.”
The company plans to start mining this mineral, considered “white gold,” by 2030, targeting an output of 60,000 tons per year.
Enami’s project plays a crucial role in realizing Chile’s “dream” of reclaiming its title as the world’s top lithium producer, a title that this South American nation held until it was surpassed by Australia in 2016.
Australia, which extracts lithium from rock, accounts for 43% of global lithium production, while Chile holds 34%.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric plans to establish a state-owned lithium mining company, similar to the copper mining company Codelco.
Last month, Codelco signed an agreement with lithium mining company SQM to nearly double the current production of this private company in the Salar de Atacama, located in the northern Altoandinos.
The collaboration between Codelco and SQM will add approximately 300,000 tons to Chile’s annual lithium output from 2025 to 2030 and 280,000-300,000 tons per year from 2031 to 2060.
In 2022, this South American country produced about 243,000 tons of lithium.
In Chile, lithium is produced through the evaporation of saltwater in ponds or reservoirs filled with water pumped from beneath the salt flats.
Environmental activists are concerned that lithium extraction in the Atacama Desert will impact the vulnerable ecosystem in the area.
Experts also believe that the method of extracting lithium from saltwater in this desert could threaten various animal and plant species by “evaporating” tons of water in one of the driest places on Earth.
Professor Cristina Dorador at the University of Antofagasta stated that the salt flats in the Atacama Desert are crucial for biodiversity in the region.
A study published in 2019 warned that the water-intensive production processes in the Atacama Desert have heightened concerns about the risk of disrupting the hydrology of natural water sources in an area with minimal rainfall.
The research emphasizes environmental impacts, including surface vegetation degradation, increased daytime surface temperatures, and decreased soil moisture.
Lithium mining activities in the Altoandinos region of the Atacama Desert also threaten the indigenous Colla community.
Depleted water sources in the area have forced this herding community to move from the mountains to cities, affecting their livelihoods.
