137 Scientists are scrambling to find a replacement for lithium batteries, which are expected to rise in price
as increasing numbers of people switch to electric cars. But alternatives based on sulphur or carbon are
some decades away, and billions of dollars are still being invested in new lithium battery factories and
extraction plants. If prices go up, lithium extraction projects closer to home could become feasible, says
Brian Menell, CEO of TechMet, a company focused on securing metals required by the technology industry.
There is potential for brine-based extraction in Alsace, France, and hard-rock mining in Cornwall;
one day, images like this, from a plant in Salar del Carmen, could become a familiar sight in Europe.11-19-FTlithium.indd 111 13/08/2019 16:59