BORON MINING

Rio Tinto Mine. The Serbian government has finally revoked Rio Tinto's licenses for lithium exploration in Serbia in the latter part of January 2022. The government gave in to the protesters who have been opposed to the Anglo-Australian mining company's project on environmental grounds. Last year, the company committed to the project as global miners push for metals necessary to transition to green energy. This includes lithium which is used in the production of electric vehicle batteries. The project was already suspended in December 2021 due to environmental deterioration and forced displacement concerns.

Sustainable Boron and Lithium mining: Borates and lithium are essential for decarbonisation, advanced energy, and food security. The extraction and production of these critical minerals need to respect sustainable principles to satisfy multiple stakeholders, local interest groups, and residents. A case in point is Valjevo in Serbia, where locals have successfully halted the Valjevo project until February 2022 until officials are satisfied sustainable practices will be put in place.

ABR Boron Facility: In a welcome move for ABR, the US Government has designated the Fort Cady boron and lithium site as critical infrastructure. Given the high demand and limited supply for boron, the move marks an important step in securing supplies of boron for key industries such as advanced energy and for decarbonization efforts.

Vulcan Energy Resources announced in November that its leading German site had significant lithium reserves with 181 milligrams per litre. Lithium and Boron can be found and extracted from Geothermal Brine. Vulcan plans to market its lithium as “zero carbon.”. Vulcan’s Zero Carbon Lithium business is different from current lithium extraction projects in that it causes no disruptions to communities or the environment.