Massive potential lithium source found in Pennsylvania

The rolling green hills of western Pennsylvania have been stripped for coal for over 2 centuries and drilled for unconventional natural gas from shale rocks since the turn of the 21st century. As it turns out, the hills also sit on a lithium trove. A recent study shows that wastewater from Pennsylvania shale gas wells contain enough lithium to supply 40% of U.S. demand for the critical battery metal ( Sci. Rep. 2024, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58887-x ). Some speculate that this discovery could spark a lithium rush. The answer is complicated, and it's marred by technoeconomical, health, and environmental concerns. Hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—uses pressurized water to crack shale rocks and release trapped natural gas . This generates large volumes of brackish wastewater containing dissolved salts and harmful chemicals , which have been linked to environmental contamination and health impacts such as asthma and lymphoma in children . The fracking industry is