A startup plans to extract lithium from the Great Salt Lake by temporarily sucking up its water.
AdvertisementUtah's Great Salt Lake is leaving behind a toxic bowl of dust as it disappears — but hope for a greener future may also lay in the salty water.
The Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western hemisphere, is laced with lithium, a mineral used to make rechargeable batteries in electric vehicles.
A California-based startup called Lilac Solutions wants to remove billions of gallons of water from the Great Salt Lake, extract the lithium, and then return the water.
AdvertisementThe Great Salt Lake has faced record-low water levels in recent years that scientists blame on excessive water use.
Persons:
Bill Gates, —, Raef Sully
Organizations:
Solutions, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Service, Street Journal, Lilac Solutions, Salt Lake Tribune, Mitsubishi, Nature Conservancy, EV
Locations:
Salt, California