The Need for Lithium as a Fuel
If energy levels are reduced by a global reduction in the allowed use of fossil fuels then will the use of Lithium as a fuel provide an alternative sustainable fuel up to 2050.
This analysis gives an on going framework to test that question.
Lithium is not freely available on Earth.
It has to be synthesized.
It is highly reactive and so requires immediate specialized storage once extracted.
Current Production of Lithium
Extraction of Lithium from all reserves in 2011-2012 was 13,000,000 tons
Source: 2011 - 2012 USGS.
Current Per unit yield for Lithium
Molecular weight of Lithium = 3 grams
Lithium concentration in seawater = 0.25 grams / metric ton of seawater
Allowing 1000000 grams/metric ton = 0.25 grams / 1,000,000 grams
= 1 gram of lithium per 4,000,000 grams
= 1 gram of lithium per 4 tons of seawater
Potential energy from 1 ton of Lithium = 3580 J/kg/deg K
= 3,580,000,000 J/ton x 0.0000002778
to convert to kwh
= 994 kwh/ton
= 994,000 wh per ton
Compares to = 1,870,000 wh per ton of coal
= 11,666,000 wh per ton of crude oil
= 5,300,000 wh per ton of wood
= 3,084,000 wh per ton of short rotation
coppice
The Lithium production process also needs
Electricity from fossil fuels
Electrolysis anode, cathode, connections.
A controlled seal container for the sea water
A controlled seal container for the Lithium.
Energy converters to change the Hydrogen into electrical energy.
Electrical Energy Storage Batteries
To replace the same tonnage per year of crude petroleum the amount of Lithium needed would have to be
84,060,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Source: CIA World Factbook
Allowing 42 gallons per barrel. Allowing 7.33 barrels per metric ton
84,060,000 x 42 / 7.33
481,653,478 tons of crude oil per day
175,803,519,470 tons of crude oil per year
2,050,923,858,137,020 kWh per year
So we would need
2,050,923,858,137,020 / 994 kWh
2,063,303,680,218 tons of Lithium to get the same energy equivalent of oil per year.
Allowing for a production of 34,000 tons / year current Lithium product levels.
This would need production to increase by a factor of approx. 60,685,402
Given the current reserves of Lithium of 130,000,000 tons.
This gives a reserve of 2 years to meet current oil demand levels by the use of Lithium.
The Use of Lithium in Fusion Energy
Lithium 6 extracted from seawater can in a nuclear fission process in an existing nuclear reactor produce a neutron, Helium 4 and Tritium.
Tritium and Deutirium can be brought together in a fusion reaction to produce Helium and a neutron and energy.
The process then repeats in a cascade manner to produce more energy.
JET in Oxfordshire has already tested this process and achieved a fusion reaction.
The ITER fusion reactor is being built currently to generate energy.
A fusion plant using this process will require approximately 125 kilos of Deuterium and125 kilos of Tritium.
Source: http://www.iter.org/sci/fusionfuels
The Production of Deutirium and Tritium from Seawater
Deutirium concentration in sea water = 33 milligrams per litre of seawater
Source: http://www.iter.org/sci/fusionfuels = 0.033 grams per 1,000,000 grams
= 1 gram of Deutirium per 30303030
grams
= 1 gram of Deutirium per 30.3 metric
tons of seawater
Tritium is dependant on the amount
of Lithium production = 1 gram of lithium per 4 tons of seawater
= maximum of 1 gram of Tritium
per 4,000,000 grams
= maximum of 1 gram of Tritium
per 4 tons of seawater
So for the reaction to occur = 34 tons of seawater
To get out = 1 gram of lithium
1 gram Deutirium
1 gram maximum of Tritium.
‘In terms of energy input a 1,500MW fusion reaction would consume 600g of tritium and 400g of deuterium a day.
Source: BBC News - 'Critical phase' for Iter fusion dream 'Critical phase' for Iter fusion dream David Shukman
This gives a need for = 20,400 tons of seawater per day
per fusion reactor.
= 744,6000 tons of seawater
per year per fusion reactor.
The Seawater Resource
Allowing for the water volume on Earth = 1,335,000,000 km3
Source: NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center
= 352,670,000,000,000,000,000 gallons
= 1,333,092,600,000,000,000,000 kg
= 1,333,092,600,000,000,000 metric
tons of seawater
This would give a world reserve in years of pure saltwater before any contamination by nuclear processes of
1333092600000000000 / 744,6000 = 1,790,347,300,000,000 years
Conclusion
Lithium is not currently a sustainable fuel at our current level of technology.
The world reserves of Lithium could be supplemented through the electrolysis of sea water.
This would increase the reserves by 230,000,000,000 tons to 230,130,000,000 tons
This would give a reserve of 3792 years to meet current oil demand levels by the use of Lithium.
Lithium is also a crucial step in creating Nuclear Fusion Technology.
Extracting and then processing the seawater reserves on Earth is a means of moving from a Carbon based energy level to a Lithium energy economy.
This technological leap allows humans to move up in heat capacity by a factor of five and to work with energy levels five times higher than current world energy output.
Therefore the extraction of Lithium from seawater is a crucial step to lift the world to a new energy potential.
Ian K Whittaker
Website:
https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles
Email: iankwhittaker@gmail.com
16/11/2013
14/10/2020
890 words over 3 pages.