The Future of Economic Geology - Metals and Society: An Introduction to Economic Geology - page 147

Albite, analcime, ancylite, apatite, barylite, bertrandite, beryllite, calcite,
catapleiite, cerussite, chabazite, chkalovite, elpidite, evenkite, fersmite, fluorite,
genthelvite, gmelinite, gonnardite, halloysite, helvite, hemimorphite, leifite,
leucophanite, lorenzenite, lovdarite, microcline, montmorillonite, nahcolite,
natrolite, natrophosphate, nenadkevichite, pectolite, pectolitemanganoan,
polylithionite, senarmontite, sepiolite, sodalite, sorensenite, sphalerite, stilbite,
strontianite, terskite, tetranatrolite, thorite, titanite, tugtupite, ussingite,
villiaumite, vinogradovite, vitusite-(ce), vuonnemite, whewellite, willemite,
zircon.
Only some of these are important in the context of this chapter.
- Steenstrupine is an unusual phospho-silicate mineral that is the dominant
host of both REE and uraniumh in the Kvanefjeld deposit
- Cerite and vitusite also host REE in portions of the deposit
- Villuamite (or villiaumite) contain sodium fluoride
The rare earth elements thereby provide a very interesting example of how the
development of industry and new technologies require the use of previously little
exploited resources, and how the global minerals industry reacts to this demand.
6.3 Lithium
The occurrence and exploitation of this element provide another example of the
complications - geological, geographic, economic and political - that will influence
the global minerals industry in the first part of the twenty-first century. Until
recently this element had been used many specialized applications, but only in
relatively small quantities. Some examples are listed in Table 6.4 .
Global production of about 20,000 t/year was able to meet this demand over the
past decade, but in the near future the situation may change. The push to reduce
petrol consumption and CO 2 emissions by the world's growing fleet of automobiles
has led to the development of hybrids such Toyota's Prius and a range of fully
electric vehicles. Most of these may eventually be equipped with Li-ion batteries,
which offer important advantages, including greater power and smaller size and
weight, over other types of battery. The battery of a hybrid vehicle contains about
2 kg of Li and that of a fully electric vehicle about 3 kg. To convert the world's fleet
of vehicles from petrol to electric would require a vast increase in the demand for
Li, up to ten times current production according to some estimates. Where will all
this Li come from?
Currently two main types of Li ore are mined. The first consist of deposits of the
mineral spodumene, a Li silicate with a pyroxene-like composition (LialSi 2 O 6 ), that