Global Biogeochemical Cycle of Lithium

The total human mobilization of Li from the Earth's crust, >1,000 x 10(9) g/year, is much larger than Li mobilized by the natural processes of chemical and mechanical weathering (94 and 132 x 10(9) g/year, respectively), representing a similar to 500% perturbation of the global cycle of Li by human activities. The anthropogenic perturbation of the global Li cycle shows enhanced releases to freshwaters from oil-produced water (46 x 10(9) g/year), leaching of coal ash (7-20 x 10(9) g/year), and extraction of groundwaters (29 x 10(9) g/year). The sum of these anthropogenic sources more than doubles the natural transport of dissolved Li to the sea in rivers (69 x 10(9) g/year). Currently, releases from the excretion of therapeutic drugs and disposal of lithium-ion batteries are a small component of the transport of Li in rivers, although the latter may increase markedly as lithium-ion batteries dominant global energy storage. Human emissions of Li particles to the atmosphere-55 x 10(9) g/year from coal combustion-comprise about 38% of the emission of Li to the atmosphere from various sources. The inputs to the atmosphere are more than the estimated deposition of Li from the atmosphere, which is poorly constrained by available data.

Automated summary

Human activities have perturbed the global lithium cycle by about 500%, with major sources including releases from oil production, leaching of coal ash, and extraction of groundwaters, exceeding natural lithium mobilization. Currently, the impact of pharmaceutical excretion and disposal of lithium-ion batteries on the transport of lithium in rivers is relatively small, though it may increase significantly as lithium-ion batteries dominate global energy storage.