Nickel
I am not sure that nickel has got the attention it deserves - Andy Whitmore
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image by: Jerry Allen
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Nickel mining: the hidden environmental cost of electric cars
As countries the world over legislate to phase out petrol and diesel cars, attention is turning to the environmental impact of mining the materials needed for electric vehicle batteries.
This additional scrutiny has largely focused on ethical concerns with cobalt and lithium supply chains, despite Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s observation last year that the lithium ion batteries his vehicles use are mostly made of nickel and graphite, with lithium itself merely “the salt on the salad”.
But the extraction of nickel – predominately mined in Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Russia and the Philippines – comes at an environmental and health cost.
Resources
Electric vehicles are great, but the environmental cost of nickel batteries is too high
Your next major purchase may be an electric vehicle, but most of the batteries in electric vehicles are made with nickel, which is a poor choice for planet lovers. The associated increased demand for nickel is accelerating strip-mining of tropical forests and incurring other negative consequences in Indonesia and the Philippines. We do need some mining to make the transition away from carbon-based transportation, but strip-mining in tropical environments is too high a cost to pay. Instead, buyers should choose electric vehicles with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which have a much more manageable environmental impact.
Nickel is a key element of electric vehicles — but mining it takes an environmental toll
Greg Dipple wants to turn the waste from nickel mines into large-scale carbon sinks. The idea, which he has developed over two decades, would help reduce the environmental impact of mining for metals that are highly sought after for electric vehicle batteries.
Nickel: Human Health and Environmental Toxicology
Environmental pollution from nickel may be due to industry, the use of liquid and solid fuels, as well as municipal and industrial waste. Nickel contact can cause a variety of side effects on human health, such as allergy, cardiovascular and kidney diseases, lung fibrosis, lung and nasal cancer.
Nickel mining: the hidden environmental cost of electric cars
Nickel mining: the hidden environmental cost of electric cars The extraction of nickel, mainly mined in Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Russia and the Philippines, comes with environmental and health costs.
Nickel Institute
Nickel and nickel-containing materials play an important role in the technologies and applications that are helping achieve key environmental policy objectives, such as reducing carbon emissions. Even though nickel is an essential element for plants, as with all metals and chemicals, excessive amounts can adversely impact the quality of the environment for flora and fauna. This is why nickel is closely regulated and is subject to extensive assessments within a number of legislative frameworks.
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