Element3, a Fort Worth-based company, is launching the first lithium mining project in the U.S. in nearly 50 years.
The project takes waste from the Permian Basin, a nearby oil field, and turns it into lithium carbonate. Element3 extracts the lithium from the basin’s produced water, which contains salts, hydrocarbon compounds, and chemicals. It’s the first commercial-scale lithium mining project of its kind in the Permian Basin, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Lithium is an essential element for electric vehicle batteries, but it is not always mined sustainably. While EVs are still better for the planet than gas-powered cars, critics have pointed out the energy- and water-intensive practices that are typically used in mining. This can add to heat-trapping pollution, warming the planet…