Reducing water stress from mining battery materials

Abstract Rising demand for lithium-ion batteries is expanding mining activity, with local environmental impacts tied to scarce water resources. Although high water requirements in mining are a known concern, opportunities for cost-effectively reducing these impacts have not been systematically assessed. Here, we use a global, spatially-explicit capacity expansion model to evaluate the future water impacts of mining for four battery minerals (copper, nickel, cobalt, and lithium). We find that it is possible to greatly reduce water stress by prioritizing mining where more water is available. Roughly 50% of stress-weighted water use could be avoided at 10% higher cost, primarily by relocating lithium and copper extraction. Reducing primary mineral demand, by efficiency improvements or through recycling, might reduce water stress at even lower costs, and desalination could prevent water stress at additional cost. Priorities include shifting extraction to water abundant basins, adopting desalination, and maximizing copper recovery rates.