Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain
Lithium is vital for the decarbonization transition. With Australian mines supplying over 50% of global demand, building greener lithium mining in Australia is essential. Therefore, this study conducts a site-specific assessment of all seven Australian mine sites in the latest decade, examining fact...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2634-4505/adf663 |
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| author | Estefania Orquera Guochang Xu Stephen Northey Tim Werner Oscar Tiku Damien Giurco Kazuyo Matsubae |
| author_facet | Estefania Orquera Guochang Xu Stephen Northey Tim Werner Oscar Tiku Damien Giurco Kazuyo Matsubae |
| author_sort | Estefania Orquera |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lithium is vital for the decarbonization transition. With Australian mines supplying over 50% of global demand, building greener lithium mining in Australia is essential. Therefore, this study conducts a site-specific assessment of all seven Australian mine sites in the latest decade, examining factors such as ore yield, grade, mining costs, and emission intensity. Our analysis reveals that while Greenbushes is the lowest emitter, its limited lifespan, along with the planned expansions of other sites that have higher emission intensities, can significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions from the lithium supply in the future. To address the challenges of emissions and fluctuating lithium prices, Australia must make a sustainable strategic shift toward greater involvement in the downstream supply chain, including refining and manufacturing. A regional comparison with the Lithium Triangle highlights Australia’s mining strength and potential to become a greener lithium producer by diversifying its energy mix with renewables, adopting advanced technologies for low-grade ore recovery, and implementing strong policy frameworks to support collaborative mid-sized and emerging projects. These approaches will strengthen Australia’s role in the decarbonization transition, environmentally and economically. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3e72cffe4cdb463f97593f6451c723f2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2634-4505 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj-art-3e72cffe4cdb463f97593f6451c723f22025-08-20T03:38:50ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability2634-45052025-01-015303500810.1088/2634-4505/adf663Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chainEstefania Orquera0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6486-3946Guochang Xu1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1509-4666Stephen Northey2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9001-8842Tim Werner3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0565-4762Oscar Tiku4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0436-1906Damien Giurco5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1707-9531Kazuyo Matsubae6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3816-3898Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University , 468-1 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0845, JapanMaterial Cycles Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies , Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba 305-8506, JapanInstitute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney , 235 Jones St, Ultimo, NSW 2007, AustraliaSchool of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne , 221 Bouverie Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, AustraliaGraduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University , 468-1 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0845, JapanInstitute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney , 235 Jones St, Ultimo, NSW 2007, AustraliaGraduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University , 468-1 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0845, JapanLithium is vital for the decarbonization transition. With Australian mines supplying over 50% of global demand, building greener lithium mining in Australia is essential. Therefore, this study conducts a site-specific assessment of all seven Australian mine sites in the latest decade, examining factors such as ore yield, grade, mining costs, and emission intensity. Our analysis reveals that while Greenbushes is the lowest emitter, its limited lifespan, along with the planned expansions of other sites that have higher emission intensities, can significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions from the lithium supply in the future. To address the challenges of emissions and fluctuating lithium prices, Australia must make a sustainable strategic shift toward greater involvement in the downstream supply chain, including refining and manufacturing. A regional comparison with the Lithium Triangle highlights Australia’s mining strength and potential to become a greener lithium producer by diversifying its energy mix with renewables, adopting advanced technologies for low-grade ore recovery, and implementing strong policy frameworks to support collaborative mid-sized and emerging projects. These approaches will strengthen Australia’s role in the decarbonization transition, environmentally and economically.https://doi.org/10.1088/2634-4505/adf663hard rock spodumeneGreenbushesore gradeore yieldLithium Triangle |
| spellingShingle | Estefania Orquera Guochang Xu Stephen Northey Tim Werner Oscar Tiku Damien Giurco Kazuyo Matsubae Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability hard rock spodumene Greenbushes ore grade ore yield Lithium Triangle |
| title | Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain |
| title_full | Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain |
| title_fullStr | Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain |
| title_short | Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain |
| title_sort | australia s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain |
| topic | hard rock spodumene Greenbushes ore grade ore yield Lithium Triangle |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2634-4505/adf663 |
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