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#nolithiummining

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#SodiumBatteries offer an alternative to tricky #lithium

Lithium is relatively scarce and mostly refined in China. Sodium is neither

Oct 26th 2023

Excerpt: "Fortunately, lithium is not the only game in town. As we report this week, a clutch of firms are making batteries based on sodium, lithium’s elemental cousin. Since sodium’s chemical properties are very similar to those of lithium, it too makes for good batteries. And sodium, which is found in the salt in seawater, is thousands of times more abundant on Earth than lithium and cheaper to get at. Most of the companies using sodium to make batteries today are also Chinese. But pursuing the technology in the West might be a surer route to energy security than relying heavily on lithium.

"Besides its abundance, sodium has other advantages. The best lithium batteries use #cobalt and 3nickel in their electrodes. Nickel, like lithium, is in short supply. #Mining it on land is #environmentally destructive. Proposals to grab it from the #seabed instead have caused rows. A good deal of the world’s cobalt, meanwhile, is extracted from small mines in the Democratic Republic of #Congo, where child labour is common and working conditions are dire. Sodium batteries, by contrast, can use electrodes built from iron and manganese, which are plentiful and uncontroversial. Since the chemical components are cheap, a scaled-up industry should be able to produce batteries that cost less than their lithium counterparts.

"Sodium is not a perfect replacement for lithium. It is heavier, meaning sodium batteries will weigh more than lithium ones of an equivalent capacity. That is likely to rule them out in some cases where lightness is paramount. But for other applications, such as grid storage or home batteries, weight is irrelevant. Several Chinese carmakers are even beginning to put sodium batteries in electric vehicles.

"Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of sodium batteries is their late start. #LithiumIon batteries were first commercialised in the 1990s and have benefited from decades of investment. But the rest of the world is behind China on both fronts anyway. America and the European Union have announced enormous programmes of green industrial subsidies. If they are determined to bankroll batteries, some of the pot should go to sodium."

Read more:
economist.com/leaders/2023/10/

Archived version:
archive.ph/7x6JX#

The Economist · Sodium batteries offer an alternative to tricky lithiumBy The Economist

World’s first #sustainable ##battery lasts 6,000 cycles, could offer 30-year life

The batteries transport electrons using three physical processes, thanks to an ultraporous carbon layer inside the cell.

by Georgina Jedikovska, Updated: Apr 11, 2025 11:02 AM EST

"Ukrainian startup #SorbiForce has made a major breakthrough by transforming agricultural waste into a metal-free organic battery prototype in an attempt to combat the environmental impact of conventional batteries.

"Apart from #AgriculturalWaste, the Arizona-based energy storage company claims they used nothing but carbon, water, and salt to develop what they say is the world’s first truly sustainable battery.

"The team, led by material scientist Serhii Kaminskyi, SorbiForce’s CEO and co-founder, came up with the idea after realizing agriculture generates up to 2.1 billion tons of waste each year.

[...]

"However, what’s perhaps most striking is that at the end of a cell’s life, as much as 95 percent of the battery can be broken down into organic materials, while the rest of the components can later be reused.

"Additionally, Drolet remarks that, unlike #LithiumIon (Li-ion) batteries, which often become #toxic plastic waste or pose safety hazards when recycled, SorbiForce cells pose no risk of explosion, thermal runaway or toxic leaks thanks to their metal-free chemistry and #ClosedLoop design, even if cut in half."

Read more:
interestingengineering.com/ene

Interesting EngineeringWorld-first metal-free battery made from agri waste lasts 6,000 cyclesSorbiForce has developed a safe, sustainable battery using nothing but carbon, water, salt, and agricultural waste.

So, a #BatteryEnergyStorageSystem is in the works a few miles from where we live -- on the #SacoRiver. The local fire departments are already working on keeping on top of an incident if one happens, and knowing what to do if a #LithiumBatteryFire breaks out (the area where we live was mostly burned down in 1947, so fires are a big deal around here). It's something to be aware of. #LithiumBatteries aren't the saviors they are being made out to be. We need to invest in #SodiumIonBatteries and #SaltWaterBatteries and anything BUT #Lithium at this point -- ASAP!
#NoLithiumMining #LithiumBatteryFires

It's a bit pricey ($2600 USD), but an #eBike with a #LithiumBattery can go for anywhere between $500 and $2000.

Meet the #PiPop, the #ElectricBike you never need to charge (because it has no #battery)

It's like a regular bike, but better

By Bruce Brown Published July 26, 2024

"Electric bikes are hot and getting hotter in the U.S. In response, e-bike manufacturers frequently introduce new models, all powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. French manufacturer Pi-Pop breaks from traditional electric bike design by using a power source you never need to recharge.

"The eponymous Pi-Pop electric bicycle, now in the third generation, gets riding power assistance from a #supercapacitor that charges while you ride. Like most electric cars, e-bikes with geared or direct drive hubs can regain energy on the go from regeneration while braking. An electric motor reverses energy flow during regeneration, directing the flow back into a battery.

"With Pi-Pop e-bikes, which do not have batteries, regeneration is the only way the onboard supercapacitor gains energy. According to the company, a rider pedaling a Pi-Pop e-bike on flat ground regenerates moderate energy by using a small portion of the rider’s pedaling power to recharge the supercapacitor. Riding the bike downhill when the rider doesn’t need to pedal as hard to maintain speed regenerates more energy than flat ground travel. Applying the Pi-Pop’s brakes restores the greatest energy to the supercapacitor.

"Supercapacitors have several advantages over batteries, primarily charging and discharging speeds and life span. Supercapacitors can store and release energy ten times faster than batteries. Rechargeable batteries have an expected cycle life of 500 to 10,000 charges, but a supercapacitor can be recharged millions of times. Batteries can deliver power over a more extended period between recharging. Still, the superior speed with which a supercapacitor recharges through regeneration can eliminate the need to plug into a power supply.

Reliability of the Pi-Pop

"With the Pi-Pop’s supercapacitor energy regeneration system, there’s no question of range per charge because the e-bike recharges when you’re pedaling or braking. You’ll only use more energy than you regenerate when pedaling uphill.

"The Pi-Pop conforms to the European standard for Level I e-bikes, which means the maximum speed is limited to 25 KMPH (15.5 MPH) with power-assisted pedaling only. The Pi-Pop has no twist or thumb throttle, so you’ll need to pedal for power assistance. The bike’s Aikema electric motor and regenerator are rated at 250 watts and 45 Newton meters of torque. That may not seem like much power, but it’s appropriate given the bike’s roughly 48-pound weight and low-by-U.S.-standards top speed.

"You can shift through seven gears with a Shimano RevoShift shifter and a Shimano Tourney derailleur, all brand-name parts. The adjustable Zoom front fork has up to 45mm travel, which is certainly enough for a bike that won’t be used as an electric mountain bike and rock jumper. The Tektro mechanical disc brakes with 180mm disc rotors are more than adequate.

"The Pi-Pop bike is available in one size with a step-through aluminum frame in white with green accents. There are no other frame sizes, styles, or color choices. Fenders, mudflaps, a kickstand, a headlamp, and a rear rack are all standard.

"If an e-bike that never needs recharging is appealing, you can only buy the Pi-Pop at the company factory on the banks of the Loire River in Olivet, France. The price is 2,450 euros or about $2,600 U.S."

themanual.com/outdoors/pi-pop-
#Bicycles #BikePower #NoLithiumMining
No #LithiumBatteries

The Manual · Meet the Pi-Pop, the electric bike you never need to charge (because it has no battery)By Bruce Brown

More of this, please...!

This #eBike Doesn’t Need a Battery

A French inventor has created an e-bike that runs on a #supercapacitor rather than a #LithiumBattery.

By Micah Ling
Published: Dec 07, 2023

"#AdrienLelièvre, has recently engineered a sustainable solution to power the e-bike boom. According to Euronews, Lelièvre 'designed and patented an e-bike called #PiPop, which doesn’t use lithium batteries but supercapacitors.'

"Lelièvre told Euronews, 'The system gets charged when the ride is easy and when the bike brakes—thanks to engine braking—the energy is given back when needed.'

"So, what exactly is a supercapacitor?

"A supercapacitor essentially stocks up energy in the form of a slow-moving charge, which can be released when needed. A battery stocks up energy as a chemical reaction. This means that the bike is constantly stocking up energy when ridden on easier terrain, and then using that energy when going uphill, in the form of an assist.

"According to TS2, 'Supercapacitors, which have been around since the late 1970s, offer several advantages over lithium batteries. Rather than relying on the consumption of natural resources like #lithium or #RareEarthElements, supercapacitors store energy through electrostatic means. This allows them to stock and release energy quickly, providing instant assistance to riders when needed.'

"Unlike many other e-bike manufacturers, Pi-Pop also uses #recyclable materials such as #carbon, conducting polymer, #aluminum foils, and pulp, thus avoiding the need for rare earth elements in its production.

"#TS2 reports that 'the longevity of the Pi-Pop sets it apart from traditional e-bikes. While lithium batteries typically last five to six years, the supercapacitors in the Pi-Pop are projected to have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years. This prolongs the bike’s usability, reducing waste and minimizing the environmental impact associated with battery disposal.'

"Another perk to the Pi-Pop bike is that there’s never a need to charge it when it’s stationary. You’ll never hop on the bike and realize you forgot to charge it up.

"Euronews reports that according to Lelièvre, 'We can’t innovate if we lose control of production. When we talk about sustainable development, ecological transition, and energy transition, we need to provide the jobs.' Lelièvre’s company employs 25 people.

"Pi-Pop currently produces 100 bikes per month. And moving forward the company aims to produce at least 1,000 bikes per month in 2024."

Source:
bicycling.com/news/a46064993/t
#Bicycles #BikePower #NoLithiumMining

Bicycling · This E-Bike Doesn’t Need a BatteryBy Micah Ling
Continued thread

[Thread] The next installment from #KleeBenally 's book, #NoSpiritualSurrender

“The devastation of #NuclearColonialism, which permanently destroys #Indigenous communities throughout the world, is outright ignored by some of the most devout #ClimateJustice advocates. They claim #NuclearEnergy production is also a #GreenSolution to the #ClimateCrisis. More than 15,000 abandoned #UraniumMines are located within the so-called US, mostly in and around Indigenous communities, permanently poisoning #SacredLands and waters with little to no action being taken to clean up their deadly toxic legacy. There are currently 93 operating #NuclearReactors in the so-called US that supply 20% of the country’s electricity. There are 60,000 tons of #HighlyRadioactive spent waste store in concrete dams at #NuclearPowerPlants throughout the country with the waste increasing at a rate of 2,000 tons per year.

“In 1987 the ‘US’ Congress initiated a controversial project to transport and store almost all of the US’s #ToxicWaste at #YuccaMountain located about 100 miles northwest of so-called #LasVegas, #Nevada. Yucca Mountan has been held holy to the #Paiute and #WesternShoshone Nations since time immemorial. In January 2010 the #ObamaAdminstration approved a $54 billion taxpayer loan in a guarantee program for new nuclear reactor construction, three times what Bush previously promised in 2005. In April 2022, the #BidenAdministration government bailout to ‘rescue’ nuclear power plants at risk for closing. A #Colonial government representative stated, ‘US nuclear power contributes more than half of our #CarbonFree electricity, and President Biden is committed to keeping these plants active to reach our #CleanEnergy goals.’

“They, along with Climate Justice activiists, cite nuclear energy as necessary to combat #GlobalWarming, all while ignoring the devastating percent impacts #IndigenousPeoples have faced. There is nothing clean about energy produced from nuclear colonialism. From its weapons (including #DepletedUranium) to its #Mining and its waste; Indigenous bodies, lands, and waters continue to be sacrificed to heat water with radioactive materials which creates steam that moves generators to change batteries made from #Lithium extracted from other Indigenous sacred lands so #Teslas can mo you forward into a ‘just’ climate future.

“A green economy sustains and advances colonial progress, which means mitigated selective and ongoing destruction of #MotherEarth.”

Pages 139-140

#IndigenousAnarchy
#Ecosystem #HaulNo #DefendTheSacred
#CorporateColonialism #NoDAPL #CriminalizingDissent #WaterIsLife #ClimateDefenders #NoCopperMiningWithoutConsent #NoLithiumMining #CorporateColonialism #NoMiningWithoutConsent #LithiumMining #CopperMining #Greenwashng #NuclearWeapons #RestInPowerKleeBenally #RIPKleeBenally #StopCanyonMine

BREAKING NEWS! Federal Judge Halts #Haaland's Runaway Train of Destruction of #NativeAmerican #SacredPlaces in #Arizona

By #BrendaNorrell, #CensoredNews, August 21, 2024

"In a bizarre twist, attorneys for the U.S. government said an Australian company has to drill into #Hualapai's Ceremonial Place because it is necessary for '#GreenEnergy transition.' A federal judge ruled otherwise and halted the drilling for #lithium with a temporary restraining order.

"The head of a #Navajo tribal enterprise had already rushed in and agreed to head up the drilling into the sacred. On Monday, Hualapai defenders began an encampment to protect their sacred land and water.

"U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa granted a temporary restraining order, and became the first judge to halt Biden and Haaland's runaway train of destruction, which includes granting mining permits at Native sacred places for lithium, and bulldozing Native historic villages and burial sites for #WindEnergy -- in violation of federal laws.

[...]

"In the usual scam of environmental impact statements, the U.S. government claimed the drilling would have 'no significant impact' on Hualapai's Ceremonial Place and the Sacred Spring. #Biden's Interior Department, headed by #DebHaaland, and her BLM issued the drilling permit to Australia's #HawkstoneEnergy, now calling itself #ArizonaLithium.

"The #HualapaiTribe is seeking a preliminary injunction to prohibit the drilling, pointing out that it violates the National Historic Preservation Act and National #Environmental Policy Act.

"The Ha’Kamwe' springs are on Hualapai land known as Cholla Canyon. There is archaeological evidence of the tribe’s presence there dating to 600 A.D.

“Today our people celebrate the granting of the temporary restraining order, but understand our fight is not over,” Hualapai Tribe Chairman Duane Clarke said in a statement Wednesday. “We will continue to bring awareness to the protection of our water.”
Ha'Kam'we Springs

"Meanwhile, Haaland is also being sued by the Tohono O'odham and San Carlos Apache Nations for destruction of their ancient village sites, medicine gathering areas, and burial places in the San Pedro Valley in southern Arizona.
Bulldozers for #SunZia transmission lines are destroying sacred and historic sites in violation of federal laws. A Tucson federal judge refused to halt the destruction. Pattern Energy plans to take wind energy from New Mexico to California.

"In the ongoing fake green energy transition, the Navajo Transitional Energy Company signed an agreement with the Australian lithium company to head the drilling operation."

bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/08

bsnorrell.blogspot.comFederal Judge Halts Haaland's Runaway Train of Destruction of Native Sacred Places in ArizonaCensored News is a service to grassroots Indigenous Peoples engaged in resistance and upholding human rights.

[Thread] The next installment from #KleeBenally 's book, #NoSpiritualSurrender.

“The proposition of unplugging from a ‘dirty’ power source and plugging into a ‘green’ one does nothing to address the underlying power relations. It reinforces them.

“‘#GreenEnergy’ sustaining a Green Economy still demands resource #colonialism. From sacred #OakFlat in so-called Arizona where #SanCarlosApache are resisting a massive mine that is estimated to contain enough #copper ore to produce 275 million electric vehicles [#EVs], to sacred #ThackerPass in so-called Nevada where #Shoshone are resisting #LithiumMining, which is necessary for electric vehicle and ‘green’ energy battery production. A single car #LithiumIon battery pack contains 18 pounds of lithium. To electrify every vehicle throughout the world, an estimated 10.4 billion tons of lithium is needed, that is approximately 13 times the existing lithium reserves. The Thacker Pass lithium one is mismated to produce 60,000 tons annually. The proposed project spans approximately 28 square miles that would hold an #OpenPit and a #sulfuricacid processing plant to extract lithium from mined ore.

"The operation is estimated to release 152,713 tons of #CarbonDioxide [#CO2] annually and 400,000 gallons of #water is required for each ton of lithium meaning it will use 1.7 billion gallons annual. The Thacker Pass sulfuric acid processing plant will convert sulfur to leech lithium from raw ore, turned in from sources such as the #AlbertaTarSands, which are 1,500 miles away. The tar sands, located in so-called Canada, are known as the world’s most destructive oil operation.”

Page 138-139

#IndigenousAnarchy
#Ecosystem #DefendTheSacred
#CorporateColonialism #NoDAPL #CriminalizingDissent #WaterIsLife #ClimateDefenders #NoCopperMiningWithoutConsent #NoLithiumMining #CorporateColonialism #NoMiningWithoutConsent #LithiumMining #CopperMining #Greenwashing