Lithium exploration

KATHLEEN DOREY, H.BSC. PETREL ROBERTSON CONSULTING LTD., KDOREY@PETRELROB.COM Introduction While many people think of lithium only in the context of batteries, it is a critical mineral supporting development of diverse new technologies in the 21st century. Global supply chains of years past must be rapidly expanded to meet new demands. Traditionally, lithium has been produced from both hard-rock mines and from highly saline brines brought to the surface and concentrated through evaporation. New mines can be developed, but surface concentration of lithium brines is limited to specific areas and is coming under increased environmental scrutiny. To address the demand, exploration [...]