Korba: The country's largest lithium block has been found in Katghora of Korba district, Chhattisgarh. Mackie South Mining Private Limited (MSMPL) has bought India's first lithium block in the auction by placing the highest bid. The company has been given this 76.05 per cent lithium block of Korba at an auction premium. After this, the company has started preparing for its excavation.
What is Lithium?: Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Kamala Nehru College Swapnil Jaiswal gave detailed information about Lithium. Swapnil Jaiswal said, "From the point of view of chemistry, Lithium is an alkaline element. It is an alkaline metal. It is very shiny to look at. It is not pure white, but is somewhat white in colour. It is also very light. Its density is very low."
"The nature of such metals is that they are very active metals. That is why we keep it immersed in kerosene just like sodium. Otherwise, there is a danger of it catching fire after reacting with the oxygen present in the environment. That is why lithium is handled very carefully." - Swapnil Jaiswal.
What for? Assistant Professor Swapnil Jaiswal further said, "Nowadays we are living in a modern society. We use a lot of electronic gadgets. Most of these gadgets are operated by batteries. Lithium is used in the batteries of all these. Be it a laptop, mobile phone, tablet or LED light. Lithium is used in all such products. One drawback of lithium-ion battery is that after 500 discharges, its working capacity reduces by 25 to 30 per cent."
Effects on environment: According to Swapnil Jaiswal, "It is a matter of great pride that lithium is present in our district. But where lithium mines are being opened, it must also be kept in mind that lithium has a toxic effect on both flora and fauna i.e. plants and animals. Many parameters must also be followed to protect the environment from its ill effects. Work will have to be done in a systematic and planned manner in the entire area. The by-products that will be produced from mining will also have to be recycled carefully."
Lithium in human body: There is also information that lithium is also a micronutrient in our body. Lithium is found in grains, tomatoes, and potatoes. But it is present in a certain quantity only. We need lithium only in this fixed quantity. Excess lithium is harmful. We will also get many opportunities in the field of higher education. This can also be a good subject for doing PhD. This is also a good subject for articles published in research journals. Research can be done on the effect of lithium and its impact on the environment. Scholars doing research will get many opportunities in this.
Lithium reserves: The Union Ministry of Mines had invited bids for 20 mineral blocks located across the country under the auction process for strategic minerals. This also included the Katghora-Ghuchapur Lithium and REE Block, which was acquired by Mackie South after the bid.
According to the survey, there is availability of Rare Earth Elements in sufficient quantities here. The lithium block is spread over 256.12 hectares in Katghora-Ghuchapur, out of which 84.86 hectares is forest land.
Foreign battery manufacturing: After getting the source of lithium, it will become easier for India to manufacture batteries on a large scale within the country. Niti Aayog is also preparing a battery manufacturing program for this, in which those setting up factories of batteries in India will also be given discounts. The total cost of electric vehicles will also be reduced significantly due to the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries in India. The cost of the battery in an electric vehicle is about 30 per cent of the cost of the entire vehicle. Due to heavy demand worldwide, it is also called white gold. According to a report, the price of one ton of lithium in the global market is around Rs 57.36 lakh. The global demand for lithium is expected to increase by 500 per cent by the year 2050.
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