Lithium

Why in News?

Prime Minister’s recent visit to the United States culminated in the launching of a collaborative initiative focused on recovering and processing critical minerals, notably lithium.

• It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal and the lightest solid element.
• Symbol – Li
• Atomic number - 3

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019 was awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino for the development of lithium-ion batteries

• Lithium Triangle – Major lithium reserves are concentrated in South America’s Lithium Triangle.
• It encompasses areas such as Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.
• Leading producer - Australia, extracting lithium from hard-rock spodumene deposits.
• Largest importer - Specifically lithium carbonate - China.
• Largest consumer – China.
• Lithium deposits in India – Reasi (Jammu & Kashmir) and Mandya (Karnataka), with exploration ongoing in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh.
• Lithium in Medicine – Used for mood stabilization and reduction in manic symptoms.
• Thus, it acts as an effective treatment for mood disorders like acute mania and bipolar disorder.
• Other uses of lithium - In addition to its role in psychiatry, lithium is indispensable in battery technology, nuclear energy, ceramics and lubricants.
• It plays a crucial part in carbon neutrality by enabling renewable energy storage.

Reference

The Hindu - Lithium