Lithium Storage and Release From Lacustrine Sediments: Implications for Lithium Enrichment and Sustainability in Continental Brines

Abstract

Recent investments in renewable energy infrastructure on a global scale have doubled that of new energy from nuclear power and fossil fuels (REN21, 2018), as the global energy focus is transitioning away from nonrenewable resources. This transition and the explosion of the electric vehicle industry has consequently led to an increased demand for lithium (Li) as one of the major components of batteries for electric vehicles with a projected compound annual growth rate of 18% until 2030 (Roskill, 2020). Lithium is primarily found in three main deposits: (a) pegmatites, (b) continental brines, and (c) clays (

Paleoclimate controls on lithium enrichment in Great Basin Pliocene-Pleistocene lacustrine clays

“…While surface weathering of volcanic rocks may contribute Li to the lake, these fluxes are likely small across the topographic watershed. We speculate that a combination of groundwater with long transport pathways draining from neighboring landscapes (Brooks et al, 2014;Underdown et al, 2017), surface weathering, and hot springs in the north, west, and south parts of the basin (deposits observed by Coffey et al, 2021) contributed Li into the lake in CV. Very high lithium concentrations (1000s ppm) are reported in lacustrine clay deposits recently explored in the Tonopah basin (Loveday et al, 2020) to the northeast of CV.…”

“…The average annual precipitation is 13 cm (Munk and Chamberlain, 2011), which is delivered in the summer months by the NAM and in the winter months by westerlies. The valley floor playa spans 100 km 2 at an elevation of 1298 m. The entire topographic watershed for CV is 1,437 km 2 (Coffey et al, 2021). Recent groundwater flow modeling has shown a potential contribution from surrounding basins of upwards to 12,610 km 2 (Brooks et al, 2014;Underdown et al, 2017).…”

“…Substantial Li deposits tend to be found within three different clay mineral types-smectite, illite, and montmorillonite (Morissette, 2012;Castor et al, 2020;Li et al, 2021;Coffey et al, 2022). Coffey et al (2021) claim that the bulk sediments could be hectorite, which contains Li in the octahedral layer of trioctahedral smectite in place of Mg or more loosely held in the interlayer sites. Hectorite is thought to occur in several ways: (1) precipitation in alkaline lake deposits (Starkey, 1982;Calvo et al, 1999); (2) alteration of volcanic glass under hydrothermal and low temperatures; and (3) incorporation of Li into pre-existing smectite (Starkey, 1982;Kloprogge et al, 1999;Coffey et al, 2021).…”

“…Lake basins in the Great Basin are important archives of climate, and in some cases, they also host significant economic resources (e.g., Davis and Gleason 1986;Bradley et al, 2013;Castor and Henry, 2020). Clayton Valley (CV), Nevada is a long-lived Pliocene-Pleistocene lake basin and is also the location of the largest lithium brine resource in North America (Coffey et al, 2021). The availability of lithium is critical for the transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles because it is an important component of modern battery technology (e.g., Munk et al, 2016;Manthiram, 2017).…”

Pleistocene shifts in Great Basin hydroclimate seasonality govern the formation of lithium-rich paleolake deposits

“…Previous geochemical data has helped clarify the history of aridity in this basin, as well as how climate contributed to the formation of lithium-rich clays in the basin (Coffey et al, 2021;Gagnon et al, 2023). However, leaf wax isotopes provide a novel perspective, since hydrogen isotopes in these long-chain alkyl compounds have been shown to have a strong correlation with the hydrogen isotopic composition of precipitation, while carbon isotopes reflect largescale ecosystem structure (Sachse et al, 2012;Inglis et al, 2022).…”