00:00This massive lake in California is worth $540 billion, as it holds enough lithium to power
00:18over 30 trillion iPhones.
00:21That's way more than experts predicted, making it one of the biggest lithium reserves ever.
00:26This finding could revolutionize the US economy, but a major challenge is still standing in
00:31the way.
00:32If it's not solved, all that money will stay buried forever.
00:38First things first, lithium.
00:41This metal is so valuable that people call it white gold, and it's unbelievably light.
00:46In fact, it's the lightest solid on Earth at room temperature.
00:52It was discovered by a Swedish chemist in 1817, and honestly, since then, we didn't really
00:57care much about lithium.
00:59This poor metal was ignored for centuries because it didn't seem to have any practical use
01:03in everyday life.
01:04I mean, sure, it's light, it's white, it's shiny.
01:08But what could we actually do with it?
01:11At some point, though, another trait of this metal started to stand out.
01:15It's reactivity.
01:16Basically, it bonds really easily with other elements.
01:20But that also means something else.
01:22It can catch fire in seconds.
01:25For example, if you expose it to air, it goes through a wild oxidization reaction, and before
01:30you know it, boom, flames everywhere.
01:34This might sound like danger to you, but to scientists, it screamed Eureka!
01:40Photos being super light and super reactive actually makes it the perfect material for
01:44batteries.
01:45And you get why that's a big deal nowadays, right?
01:49Batteries power almost everything around us, like smartphones, cars, and even small airplanes.
01:54Since everyone suddenly wants lithium, demand has skyrocketed, and is not slowing down any
01:59time soon.
02:01Back in 2021, for example, the world produced about 540,000 tons of it.
02:07But by 2030, predictions say demand could soar past 3 million tons.
02:12And here's the problem.
02:14Lithium is a finite resource.
02:16There are only about 100 lithium mines in the world, mostly in Australia, Chile, and China.
02:22Sure, supply is expected to grow, but demand is climbing much faster.
02:27That means we could be facing a shortage soon.
02:31Lithium mines can keep up with today's demand, but they won't be able to do that for many
02:35more years.
02:37So that's why finding new lithium reserves today is basically like winning the lottery.
02:42In this case, the United States is one of the lucky winners.
02:45First, there's the Thacker Pass mine.
02:48This spot in Nevada might hold the largest untapped lithium reserves on the planet.
02:53To put it in perspective, some estimates say it could supply up to one quarter of the world's
02:58lithium demand.
02:59We're talking as much as 40 million tons of this precious metal.
03:04And that might be worth over $500 billion.
03:08Right there, they'll be extracting lithium from clay.
03:12This might be challenging, since this process has never been done on such a huge scale before.
03:16But it's doable.
03:18A couple of years ago, the United States found another big win in the lithium game, the Salton
03:23Sea.
03:24This is a huge shallow lake located in Southern California's Imperial County.
03:30At first, they announced that this spot could hold over 3.4 million tons of lithium underground.
03:36That would be enough to make more than 375 million batteries for electric vehicles.
03:42That was already huge.
03:44But then, more recently, specialists realized they had made a mistake.
03:48Actually, a good mistake.
03:51The amount of lithium there is likely much, much higher.
03:54It could hold 18 million tons of it.
03:57Now, the Salton Sea is being considered the fifth largest lithium deposit in the world.
04:03This could be a real game changer.
04:05The United States is betting big on this mineral, hoping it'll help keep the country's economy
04:09strong for decades to come.
04:12So finding this second big source of lithium was a huge relief.
04:16It means America is one step closer to relying less on other countries.
04:21And by the way, most of its lithium right now comes from Chile.
04:25We refer to it as the Saudi Arabia of lithium.
04:29Of course, California is thrilled about this, seeing it as a potential economic windfall.
04:35The region is already being called the Saudi Arabia of lithium, or Lithium Valley, because
04:40of its potential to dominate the battery supply chain.
04:43And if it works out, it'll be a huge benefit for the state.
04:47Apparently, authorities plan to use 80% of the money from lithium extraction for local development
04:53and infrastructure.
04:55The idea is to upgrade roads, schools, and other public services.
04:59That could create a lot of new jobs for Imperial County, which is considered one of California's
05:04poorest regions.
05:06Big question.
05:07If the lithium is hiding under the lake, can they even get it out?
05:12Well, yes, at least in theory.
05:16There are two main ways companies usually extract lithium.
05:19The first is the old-school method, open-pit mining, where the rock is dug up, crushed, and
05:25processed.
05:26That's what they do at Thacker Pass, for example.
05:29They use massive hydraulic shovels to dig the metal out of the clay.
05:34Then there are evaporation ponds.
05:37However, they pump lithium-rich brine to the surface and let the water evaporate, leaving
05:41the metal behind.
05:43The problem with both methods is that they use tons of water and can cause a lot of contamination
05:48and waste.
05:50At the Salton Sea in California, things work a little differently.
05:53Instead of giant pits or evaporation ponds, companies are using the area's natural geothermal
05:59power to pull it out in a cleaner way.
06:02This method is called direct lithium extraction.
06:05And here's how it works.
06:07Near the lake, there are already 11 geothermal power plants that pump up super-hot, mineral-rich
06:13brine from underground.
06:15Normally, that brine is just used to make steam, which spins turbines to generate electricity.
06:21But now, companies are figuring out how to pull the lithium out of that same brine before
06:26sending it back underground.
06:29Since they're already pumping the brine for energy, collecting the lithium doesn't need
06:33any extra digging or big ponds.
06:36So, it avoids most of the water waste and pollution you get with old methods.
06:41It's like getting clean energy and battery materials at the same time, but with way less
06:45impact on the environment.
06:48This method sounds brilliant and totally doable, but it also comes with challenges that won't
06:53be easy to overcome.
06:55Sure, people call it environmentally friendly, but that's only when you compare it to other
07:00ways of getting lithium.
07:02This method still raises concerns about water use.
07:05People in California are already dealing with shortages, and large-scale lithium extraction
07:10could put even more pressure on the region's limited water supply.
07:14The Salton Sea itself is shrinking fast.
07:17Water levels have dropped by more than 9 feet over the past 25 years.
07:22That creates a huge problem.
07:24Less water means more exposed lakebed.
07:27The sediments there can contain harmful materials.
07:31As the lake shrinks, that exposed lakebed dries out and turns to dust, and that dust doesn't
07:36just sit there.
07:37The wind picks it up and blows it into the air.
07:40Now, the Salton Sea's shrinking shoreline is releasing toxic dust into the air, and that
07:46dust has been linked to increasing rates of respiratory problems among local residents.
07:51Authorities are already taking steps to reverse the situation by adding water to the dry parts
07:56of the Salton Sea.
07:58They're filling shallow ponds near the lake to make new wetlands.
08:01Their goal is to create a safe habitat for fish and birds, and to help keep that toxic
08:06dust under control.
08:09Some people worry that digging up all this white gold could make the Salton Sea shrink even
08:14faster and undo years of restoration work.
08:18For now, studies show geothermal plants only use about 4% of the region's water supply, but
08:24researchers still don't know if expanding these operations could end up making the water
08:28problem worse.
08:29So, what happens next?
08:32It's too soon to say, but one thing's for sure, we will need a lot more research to understand
08:37what this all means, not just for the Salton Sea, but for the future of the US economy.
08:44That's it for today, so hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and
08:51share it with your friends.
08:52Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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