5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves in Reasi
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, July 31: The decision regarding auctioning of the recently discovered Lithium mineral block in Reasi district will be taken up by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir while successful experimentation has been done for extraction of lithium from mineral concentrate in laboratory scale.
This was informed by Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi in the Rajya Sabha today.
“Geological Survey of India has carried out a preliminary exploration i.e. G3 stage mineral exploration project on Bauxite, Rare Earth Elements and Lithium in Salal- Haimna areas of Reasi District, Jammu & Kashmir during FS 2020-21 & 2021-22 and has confirmed an inferred resource (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium ore,” he said in a written reply in the House.
The Union Minister informed that the decision regarding auctioning of the lithium mineral block will be taken up by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir as on date. However, he did not elaborate on the time frame or modalities for the same.
Pointing towards the complicated processing and refining methods for lithium, Joshi said that India is capable of developing technologies for beneficiation of lithium ore to lithium mineral concentrate. He disclosed that successful experimentation has been done for extraction of lithium from mineral concentrate in laboratory scale.
“The processing and refining methods for lithium ore can vary depending on the type of lithium deposit, the characteristics of the ore and the intended end-use of the lithium compounds,” he explained.
Pertinent to mention that Lithium is not in abundant as its gaseous counterparts and the metal makes up just 0.002 percent of the Earth’s crust. It doesn’t ever occur naturally in its metallic form as it’s highly reactive to the elements and minerals around it. Rather, it’s found in a crystalline form alongside rocks and other mineral deposits in the Earth’s crust.
Main use for Lithium nowadays is in batteries. Because of its high energy storage properties, lithium batteries can power small devices for long periods of time without overheating things like watches, cell phones, laptops, tablets, remotes and more all use lithium batteries to keep them going for days, weeks or years at a time. We use lithium commercially in its metallic form, but it doesn’t appear in that state naturally. It has to first be extracted, then separated from its other minerals and then turned back into its metal form.
In his reply in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister also informed that the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research under Department of Atomic Energy has established 1600 tonnes (inferred category) lithium resource in Marlagalla area, Mandya District, Karnataka.
“This is a preliminary estimate and since then, exploration inputs by AMDER are focused to convert the preliminary estimate to exploitable category and higher degree of confidence and to augment lithium resource in the adjoining extension areas,” he said and added that bench scale studies have been completed on hydro-metallurgical extraction of Lithium from Spodumene mineral concentrate from the area to produce very pure Lithium Carbonate.
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