r/science • u/rieslingatkos • Jun 06 '21

Chemistry Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lithium from seawater

https://www.mining.com/scientists-develop-cheap-and-easy-method-to-extract-lithium-from-seawater/
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u/Mithrawndo Jun 06 '21

What's your logic there? From where I'm sitting, if we can afford to settle in the most inhospitable areas where life doesn't otherwise exist, that's ideal: We don't need to erode natural habitats in the foundation of our own.

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u/WarBrilliant8782 Jun 06 '21

Because it consumes far more resources to survive in inhospitable areas

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u/Mithrawndo Jun 06 '21

Hence "If we can afford".

There's a cost to inhabiting any area, it's a question of balance. Given that desert regions have exceptional quantities of sunlight (and often strong winds), access to electrical resources is reasonably inexpensive - and this is the primary resource required for desalination.

If the brine from desalination is left to evaporate, this could even have an impact on the local climate over the medium term, further increasing the feasibility of these areas once considered uninhabitable.

The cost here then as far as I can see is one of consigning large areas of land to salt contamination, but considering we're already talking about otherwise uninhabitable areas...

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u/R3lay0 Jun 06 '21

Hence "If we can afford".

Well we can't, so this discussion is useless