All articles tagged with #lithium
Nevada’s economy is revving up as lithium reserves lure workers from California, expanding the state’s job market and diversifying away from gaming while AI infrastructure and favorable policies boost growth.
New research argues that low-dose lithium, a long-used bipolar disorder drug, may slow Alzheimer's progression by boosting brain resilience and countering neuroprogression, acting on multiple pathways (BDNF, bcl-2, GSK-3) to promote neuroprotection. While traditional psychiatric doses carry risks to kidney and thyroid function, the study suggests much lower doses could offer benefits with fewer side effects, and experts emphasize that rigorous clinical trials are needed before any change in medical practice. The findings fuel interest in repurposing an affordable, widely available drug as part of a multi-target approach to dementia, but caution remains about safety and efficacy in older adults.
Astronomers using Gaia-ESO data found six red-dwarf stars with unexpectedly high lithium in their atmospheres, a chemical that should be destroyed deep inside these stars. Because lithium should vanish quickly, its recent appearance signals the accretion of rocky planetary material, a phenomenon dubbed necroplanetology. The six stars (out of 318 examined in clusters) suggest roughly 3–10 Earth masses of planetary matter may have been swallowed, implying planet-devouring could occur in a notable fraction of red dwarfs depending on how long lithium lasts in their atmospheres. This finding offers a new way to study planet formation and early-system evolution.
University of Rochester researchers have created a solar-powered desalination system using laser-treated, superwicking black metal that rapidly evaporates seawater, directs salts to a passive region to prevent clogging, and produces freshwater without liquid brine while recovering solid minerals (including lithium), offering a scalable path to both drinking water and mineral resources.
MIT researchers have developed a room-temperature, low-energy, closed-loop method that dissolves spodumene using an ammonium fluoride-water mix to release lithium, aluminum, and silica, with reagents recovered for reuse to nearly zero waste. The process could halve hard‑rock lithium extraction costs and be competitive with brine methods, demonstrated across 17 spodumene sources and moving toward commercialization via Rock Zero (MIT spinout); the work, published in Science, aims to boost onshore critical-mineral supply for batteries.
MIT researchers report a low-temperature, acid-free method to extract lithium from hard rock spodumene by dissolving the silicate matrix with ammonium fluoride, freeing lithium and aluminum for purification. Tested on 17 ore sources with >95% Li recovery, the process is closed-loop and avoids roasting, potentially lowering costs and carbon waste compared with traditional brine evaporation or hard-rock mining. A pilot via spinout Rock Zero is planned, but industrial-scale testing is still needed and could address the looming lithium supply challenge while reducing mining’s environmental footprint.
A UNU-INWEH report warns that surging demand for lithium, cobalt and nickel—the core of batteries and chips—drains water, contaminates rivers, hurts agriculture, and harms health in poor mining regions from the DRC to Chile and Bolivia. About 456 billion litres of water were used to extract 240,000 tonnes of lithium in 2024, while cobalt and nickel pose additional risks; 700 million tonnes of waste were generated by global rare-earth production. Although greener energy reduces emissions for consumers in the Global North, the costs fall on communities far away, prompting protests and calls for mandatory international due diligence, tighter pollution controls, and independent water monitoring as the green transition expands. Without reform, developing countries risk bearing the burden of a transition that wealthier nations benefit from.
Lady Gaga says a controversial drug helped her mental health, including filming A Star Is Born while on lithium. The article contrasts prescription lithium carbonate—dosed by psychiatrists and linked to side effects—with lithium orotate, an over‑the‑counter, low‑dose supplement marketed as a cheaper alternative. Prescribed doses are typically 600–1,800 mg daily, while supplements run around 1–5 mg daily. While some experts and studies note mood‑stabilizing and potential neuroprotective benefits, safety concerns persist and most doctors warn that low‑dose lithium is not a substitute for medical care. The piece also references water‑borne lithium research and a Harvard study on dementia, underscoring the need for medical guidance before starting any supplement.
Neptune Energy’s Altmark project in northern Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, has emerged as a major European lithium prospect after an independent estimate pegged 43 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent across its licenses. The company is piloting direct lithium extraction from hot brine—leveraging decades of gas-field infrastructure—with a second pilot in 2025 successfully producing battery-grade lithium carbonate, and a third pilot starting later that year to test adsorption, all ahead of a full demonstration phase and commercial production tied to European aims for domestic supply.
European researchers using LiDAR traced a SpaceX Falcon 9 first-stage re-entry, finding about 30 kilograms of lithium deposited in the upper atmosphere—ten times the normal daily input—alongside aluminum oxide. The event highlights potential shifts in atmospheric chemistry and pollution from rocket traffic as satellite constellations grow, with implications for ozone chemistry and ground-based astronomy.
Scientists used a ground-based LiDAR to observe in near real time the air-pollution plume produced when SpaceX Falcon 9 debris burned up on re‑entry. The lithium signal peaked at about 60 miles altitude, and the plume moved across Western Europe (Ireland to Germany) over roughly a day, while the debris crossed from Ireland to Poland in about 2.5 minutes. Lithium is a rare tracer in the atmosphere; the team estimates about 80 grams of lithium enter Earth's atmosphere daily globally, with a Falcon 9 contributing roughly 30 kilograms of aluminum‑lithium hull and batteries per vehicle. Aluminum oxide formation could affect ozone and climate, and researchers plan to measure additional metals in future campaigns; the study was published February 19, 2026 in Communications Earth & Environment.
Researchers using lidar near Saxony, Germany, detected a lithium plume 58–60 miles up about 20 hours after an uncontrolled Falcon 9 reentry, with lithium concentrations roughly tenfold above background; the study, published in Nature, notes that metals from spacecraft (lithium and other alloys) may alter upper-atmosphere chemistry, but the environmental impact remains uncertain and warrants further research.
Solid-state batteries swap a liquid electrolyte for a solid one in EV cells, promising safety and higher energy density but face major hurdles before mass production: higher overall lithium demand and costs, risk of dendrite-caused short circuits and thermal runaway (with even non‑lithium options like sodium-ion as alternatives), stringent manufacturing tolerances and interfacial resistance at the cathode–electrolyte–anode interfaces, brittle ceramic separators prone to cracking, and thermal-management challenges since solid electrolytes don’t dissipate heat as easily as liquids.
Harvard researchers show lithium naturally exists in the brain and supports neuron function; lithium depletion is an early Alzheimer’s change and is reduced when amyloid plaques bind lithium. In mice, losing brain lithium accelerates disease, while a lithium orotate compound can prevent or reverse pathology, prompting planned clinical trials; researchers caution against self-medicating until trials establish safety and efficacy.
American investor Josh Goldman is planning to expand KoBold Metals' operations into Congo, attracted by its vast mineral wealth, despite ongoing conflicts in the region.