Process information
| Key Data Set Information | |
| Location | CL |
| Reference year | 2018 |
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| Use advice for data set | When utilizing this dataset for Life Cycle Assessment, take into account that the data excludes the production processes for raw materials and energy flows with very small amounts (less than 1%). This exclusion may be significant in certain contexts, particularly in fine-grained LCA studies where even small inputs could contribute to the overall environmental impact. Users should consider supplementing this dataset with additional information if these minor flows are deemed essential for their specific LCA. |
| Technical purpose of product or process | The process data represents the production of highly concentrated brine with a lithium content of 6% using solar pond evaporation methods at the Salar de Atacama in Chile. Such brine is typically used as a feedstock for the extraction and production of lithium compounds, which are essential in manufacturing batteries for electronic devices and electric vehicles, among other applications. |
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| General comment on data set | Lithium has historically been produced from subterranean brines in the Andean mountain region of Chile in the area known as the “Lithium Triangle,” which also includes parts of Bolivia and Argentina. There are also several other lithium-rich brine locations throughout the world, and each brine has a unique chemical composition, which necessitates different processes for isolating the desired end products (Wietelmann and Steinbild, 2014). This LCA considers the brines in the Atacama Desert of Chile, known as the Salar de Atacama. The brines are concentrated, processed into battery grade Li2CO3 and LiOH•H2O, and shipped worldwide for processing into battery cathode materials and, eventually, batteries. |
| Copyright | No |
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| Technological representativeness | |
| Technology description including background system | The Salar de Atacama basin receives between 5 and 120 mm of annual rainfall depending on the specific location. To produce concentrated brine, a low-concentration brine (~0.17% lithium concentration, which is 70% water by mass and the remainder other minerals) is pumped to the surface and into a drying pond where it can be exposed to the sun and heat to facilitate evaporation. These ponds are in the southern part of the Salar de Atacama, which receives less rain, thereby facilitating effective evaporation. |
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Modelling and validation
Administrative information
Inputs and Outputs