The environmental impacts of the lithium extraction in the European region: a comparative study of conventional and new technologies to produce lithium carbonate

The rapidly growing demand of lithium for batteries, mainly driven by the expansion of electric transportation and large energy storage systems, has increased the need for efficient and environmentally sustainable extraction methods. As Europe works to strengthen its strategic independence regarding critical raw materials, developing sustainable lithium production approaches has become a top priority.

Beyond the successful implementation of the selected technology, the environmental impacts of different extraction routes are of equal importance and must be carefully considered. However, assessing these impacts remains complex, as they are strongly influenced by both process design parameters and the natural characteristics of the lithium-bearing raw material. Traditional direct extraction methods, despite their broad use, require substantial time, water, energy, and chemicals, raising concerns about their overall ecological footprint. In response to this bottleneck, a range of innovative technologies, including nanofiltration, solvent extraction, electrodialysis, and adsorption, have been developed to improve the efficiency on the use of natural resources and to reduce environmental impacts. Despite significant technological progress, detailed and comparable assessments of the environmental impacts of lithium extraction technologies within the European context remain limited. This study seeks to help address this gap by conducting a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of different lithium extraction routes. Utilizing various inventories to analyze the extraction of lithium with various technologies, LCA utilized the Environmental Footprint 3.1 methodology, the Eco-invent database 3.8, and SimaPro software. The goal is to estimate different environmental impacts of 1 kg lithium carbonate production within the European region.

The study examines not only the innovative technologies introduced to the mining sector, but also compares them with the well-establish benchmark, the conventional direct extraction, methods traditionally employed to extract lithium carbonate.

The comparison of new technologies shows that nanofiltration has the lowest environmental impact, whereas solvent extraction remains the most impactful. When comparing various new technologies with the conventional method, solvent extraction consistently demonstrates the highest environmental impact across most categories. Adsorption also plays a key role in environmental impacts, escalating resource use and climate change.

Overall innovative lithium extraction technologies exhibit varying levels and types of environmental impact. Since solvent extraction remains the most efficient method for extracting the desired purity of lithium from the source  adopting bioleaching and renewable  energy resources can mitigate the corresponding impacts . It has been observed that selecting the appropriate extraction method depends heavily on the source of the raw material resource. Consequently, the adoption of the most efficient and suitable technology should be tailored accordingly.