Eti Maden succeeded in produce lithium from waste liquid of the boron production process

[dBSPL]

Turkiye has 73 percent of the world's boron reserves, boron deposits are located in Balıkesir Bigadiç, Kütahya Emet and Eskişehir Kırka, and these contain certain amounts of lithium. However, since the traditional production method was not economical, lithium in boron wastes had not been evaluated until now. As a result of the R&D activities that have been going on for three years at Eti Maden, lithium will be produced from the liquid wastes generated during refined boron production. With this method, lithium carbonate and other salable boron products will be produced by separating the boron and lithium in the waste.

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The production of lithium in Turkiye may be a start for breakthroughs in all smart technology batteries, especially electric vehicles, electric portable appliances, small household appliances, tablets, and phones. The widespread use of electric vehicles on the one hand, and the environmental policies that must be stepped in due to global warming, and the limitations that reduce carbon dioxide emissions are expected to increase the demand for lithium, a storable and more environmentally friendly energy source, in Turkiye and the world. Turkiye currently meets all of its lithium needs through imports, and the full capacity operation of the facilities opened in Eskişehir will mean that half of Turkiye's lithium needs will be met with domestic production.

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Since lithium production facilities are planned to be produced from existing wastes in lithium production facilities, which are implemented with a recycling-oriented and sustainable production approach, the need for new waste storage areas will decrease and 1 million 300 thousand dollars will be saved annually from waste storage costs.

With this method, it is planned to process 440 thousand cubic meters of liquid waste annually and recover 90 percent. Obtaining clean water from wastes will be another benefit of this investment. The production of lithium from boron waste is expected to provide many advantages to Turkiye. The opening of a new employment area, the increase in the rate of the locality of devices produced in the country and using lithium, the decrease in the cost of lithium imports, the catch of the production technology of the most valuable mineral of the future, and the fact that this situation will open the way for Turkiye in innovation and strengthen its hand in international competitiveness, can be listed among its other benefits.

In addition, according to the news in the European press, the fact that electric cars to be produced in Turkiye will work with domestic batteries will also bring a serious price advantage to Turkiye's electric car.

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Considering the technological and environmental trends, battery production and the lithium required for it is on its way to becoming a very strategic product that is essential to have an independent industry. Just as oil was used as a strategic weapon with embargo and supply/pricing policies in the past, lithium mine, which has to be used in many fields from automobiles to autonomous robots and machines, can certainly be used as a similar weapon in the future. Looking at all these developments, we see that Turkiye has made the right investments at the right time. Being involved early in the race to be in one of the most important markets of the future and creating the capacity to produce high-tech products cleanly and sustainably are visionary moves that will carry Turkiye forward.

Head of the Department of Economics at the Turkish-German University, Prof. Dr. Elif Nuroglu

Enerjide lityum devrimi ve Türkiye'nin potansiyeli

Geleceğin petrolü veya beyaz altını olarak bilinen lityumun önemi gelişen teknolojilerle birlikte artmaya devam ediyor. - Anadolu Ajansı

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