Lithium May Create Environmental Issues in Puebla, Academics Say

As the lithium industry in Sonora is poised to take off, other states start to look to develop similar projects. Academics found that Puebla has great potential to develop lithium exploitation projects but the environmental impact of such activities remains an issue.

According to Valentina Campos, Director of the Institute for Environment Research, Universidad Iberoamericana de Puebla, and Francisco Sánchez, Scholar, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), Puebla’s potential for lithium exploitation is steeped in potential reserves along a 2,500km area. Nevertheless, the researchers called for an extensive analysis of the environmental costs it could have.

Sánchez said that lithium offers an excellent opportunity for Puebla as it could create an economic hub and create jobs. Lithium could also transform the state into a leading manufacturing and mineral extraction state. However, all players involved must pay attention to the environmental impact lithium extraction could cause. According to Sánchez, Puebla is located on a volcanic belt, which increases the risk of overexploitation, might cause the formation of sinkholes and increases the risk of water, air and soil pollution due to the presence of mineral sediments.

However, he added Puebla’s deposits may possess aluminum. “We could obtain two minerals, lithium oxide with acid lithium aluminate, which is a solid rock with a dark green color. This makes [the deposit] more attractive since you could obtain both lithium and aluminum,” Sánchez said.

For Campos, lithium exploitation could lead to water issues since refining requires large amounts of water. Campos estimated 2.2 million l of water is needed to obtain a tonne of lithium. This means a 45kg battery will need 1,400l of water. “Furthermore, for each tonne [of lithium carbonate] you can produce between 1 to 2 kilograms of lithium. These are the environmental damages: the ecosystem is modified and large amounts of water are needed. If you look at a map, some of the municipalities where the reserves are located already suffered from a lack of water,” Campos added. 

According to the Mexican Geological Survey (SGM), potential lithium reserves were found in eight municipalities located in the central and the La Mixteca areas. These municipalities are Oriental, Tepeyahualco, Chietla, Izucar de Matamoros, Tehuitzingo, Petlalcingo, Piaxtla and Chila de la Sal. SGM reported Puebla is the second state with the largest potential for lithium extraction. 

Campos warned that lithium exploitation must be carried out properly to avoid both environmental and social disasters. She said that the mineral is important for the energy transition so it is important to develop it with environmental and social responsibility.