How Is Lithium Mined?

Written By Teacher: Liz Ransom

As a High School Spanish teacher and student newspaper advisor, Liz has taught for over 20 years and has served as World Languages Department Chair and K-6 summer camp activities leader. She has worked in Ohio, Maine, New Jersey, Maryland, and Chile.

Teachers can help students understand the environmental challenges behind climate solutions such as electric cars or  energy storage by learning about lithium, a key component of batteries. For example, this introductory video about lithium can be used  to supplement this 6-8 grade social studies lesson, Electric Cars vs Bikes, or this 9-12 grade Algebra 2 and physics lesson about battery storage capacity.  This interactive text from the Council on Foreign Relations helps students analyze conflicts that can arise between countries over competition for resources like lithium.

Written By: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

The MIT Climate Change Engagement Program, a part of MIT Climate HQ, provides the public with nonpartisan, easy-to-understand, and scientifically-grounded information on climate change and its solutions.

Lithium is an essential component of clean energy technologies, from electric vehicles (EVs) to the big batteries used to store electricity at power plants. It is an abundant mineral, but to be used it must be extracted from the earth and processed. 

Today, there are two main ways to pull lithium from the ground. Until recently, most lithium mining occurred in Chile, where lithium is extracted from brines: salty liquid found at the Earth’s surface or underground. To extract lithium, that liquid is pumped from the earth and then placed in pools where the water can evaporate, leaving behind lithium and other elements.