Water & Energy/Magnets/Rare Earth Elements/Mining
The yellow-brown mineral bastnasite is the main ore mineral of neodymium (Nd), a rare earth element. Neodymium is used in magnets in cars, cellphones and computers.
Water's Role in Battery Production
Lithium production requires significant volumes of water, but does the water need to be of drinking water quality? No, but it needs to be of a certain quality with relatively low concentrations of total dissolved solids, or other constituents that could scavenge the lithium and adversely affect recovery of the target metal. Lithium can be recovered from brines in surface water or groundwater, as is done in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and China. Brine production is coming online in Clark County Nevada, and lithium deposits are being developed by EXXON in Arkansas.
Water's Role in Magnet Production
Neodymium-Iron-Boron magnets are used in high performance motors, brushless DC motors, magnetic separation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the medical field, sensors, switches and loudspeakers.
GHGs from Construction of E-Cars vs. Internal Combustion Cars
The total life-cycle footprint of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs) from the production and operation of internal combustion engine cars is greater than electric cars. There is indeed a significant amount of GHGs associated with the fabrication of e-batteries and electric cars; however, e-cars still generate less GHGs than fossil fuel-burning cars (Wall Street Journal March 22, 2021).
Daily Water Use at a Large Copper Mine
Copper is a critical material in home construction and many electrical applications. Large copper mines require significant daily water consumption for ore processing and dust suppression.
Daily Water Use at a Typical Data Center
Because of the need to maintain a temperature that does not exceed about 85 degrees Fahrenheit in a approximately 300,000 square foot data center that houses thousands of servers generating heat, an evaporative cooling system will use up to 1,000,000 gallons of water in a summer day (Gander, unpublished data 2013). Much of this water can be reused over a period of days or weeks but it will dissipate through evaporation and will need replacement due to excess salts and the build up of impurities.