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Pyrite can contain an in-demand element that has sparked its own 'gold rush.'
Pyrite, the yellow metal known as fool’s gold, has another trick up its sleeve: it can contain lithium, a crucial element in the world’s quest for greener energy, according to a team of researchers that studied rock deposits in the eastern United States.
The researchers examined 15 rock samples that formed during the middle-Devonian, about 390 million years ago, in the U.S.’s Appalachian Basin. They found lithium (Li on the Periodic Table) in pyrite minerals in the shale, indicating that fool’s gold could contain an element touted for kicking off a new ‘gold rush.’ The team’s research was announced at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2024, and their paper is currently hosted on the assembly website.
“Some Li may be sequestered in pyrite in organic-rich shales,” the study authors wrote. “As pyrite is a common mineral in the Appalachian Basin, this has implications for exploiting shale pyrite in the Devonian sequence if the Li proves economically extractable.”
Lithium is an in-demand metal because of its use in battery technologies, and it is becoming increasingly coveted as electric vehicle production ramps up worldwide. Lithium batteries power everything from cars to computers, and, like the element cobalt, it is increasingly in sought for general “green” battery tech.
gizmodo.com
Pyrite, the yellow metal known as fool’s gold, has another trick up its sleeve: it can contain lithium, a crucial element in the world’s quest for greener energy, according to a team of researchers that studied rock deposits in the eastern United States.
The researchers examined 15 rock samples that formed during the middle-Devonian, about 390 million years ago, in the U.S.’s Appalachian Basin. They found lithium (Li on the Periodic Table) in pyrite minerals in the shale, indicating that fool’s gold could contain an element touted for kicking off a new ‘gold rush.’ The team’s research was announced at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2024, and their paper is currently hosted on the assembly website.
“Some Li may be sequestered in pyrite in organic-rich shales,” the study authors wrote. “As pyrite is a common mineral in the Appalachian Basin, this has implications for exploiting shale pyrite in the Devonian sequence if the Li proves economically extractable.”
Lithium is an in-demand metal because of its use in battery technologies, and it is becoming increasingly coveted as electric vehicle production ramps up worldwide. Lithium batteries power everything from cars to computers, and, like the element cobalt, it is increasingly in sought for general “green” battery tech.
Fool's Gold Might Actually Become Valuable
Pyrite can contain an in-demand element that has sparked its own 'gold rush.'
gizmodo.com
