Ok, maybe that headline is a bit dramatic. It's meant to get your attention.
The truth, however, is that researchers have replaced some of the lithium in lithium-ion batteries with sodium chloride (essentially, "salt") and have achieved similar performance and efficiency as the original with full lithium.
This is huge news because sodium is far more abundant in the world than lithium. We're already starting to see some issues with countries (and companies) racing to mine the world's lithium sources.
If we can continue to replace lithium with sodium/salt in batteries without degrading the performance of our energy-hungry machines it will help to sustain the supply for generations to come.
The cost of lithium has increased almost tenfold since 2020, and Elon Musk recently called the metal “the new oil.” Cutting the cost of batteries would not only lead to massive savings but also enable a smoother transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Many alternative battery technologies are being investigated, but so far, none have replaced lithium as the main ingredient of choice. Now, scientists at Arizona State University have proposed taking a different approach: Instead of replacing lithium, they’re diluting it with sodium. Sodium is readily available and abundant as sodium chloride (salt) in seawater, potentially easing the financial and environmental burden of lithium.
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