Mining

Rubidium Can Be More Than a Lithium Cast-Off

February 11, 2025
Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Metallurgy & Material Science

Lithium has been the apple of the mining industry’s eye as demand for electric vehicle batteries has skyrocketed. Now, the investment in lithium extraction is spilling over to include rubidium, another element on the leftmost column of the periodic table. Rubidium is found in the earth’s crust alongside lithium and…

December 27, 2024
Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

Wielding a shiny chrome scoop, Michael Rosenthal leans over and digs into the powder in a half-filled 55-gallon drum. He holds up the scoop and takes a pinch in his fingers and smooshes it to show me the texture. It’s like talc, but it’s an odd, beautiful shade of pale…

25 Mar 24

Interlune Aims to Mine the Moon for Helium-3

Aerospace & Aeronautical

When Harrison Schmitt and his crewmate Gene Cernan finished their last moonwalk, they were filthy. Never mind that Apollo 17 wasn’t large enough for basic creature comforts; the bigger issue was that their spacesuits were covered with caustic, corrosive lunar dust. It was like nothing on Earth. It got into…

11 Jan 24

What Is Bitcoin’s True Environmental Impact?

Computer & Information Technology

The vast network of computer hardware that keeps the Bitcoin network running requires a staggering amount energy. That has led to concerns about the cryptocurrency’s effect on the environment. But assessing the cryptocurrency’s actual, bottom-line impact is not as simple as it might seem, say experts. Bitcoin’s huge computational demands…

31 Oct 23

Could Direct Lithium Extraction Be a Game-Changer?

Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

High in the Andes mountains where the borders of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile intersect, white expanses of salt stretch for hundreds of kilometers. Under these flats lie reservoirs of water that contain about three-quarters of the world’s lithium.For decades, producers have extracted that lithium by pumping the water up to…

20 Sep 23

Finding Battery Minerals With AI

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Eliza Strickland: Hi, I’m Eliza Strickland for IEEE Spectrum‘s Fixing the Future podcast. Before we start, I want to tell you that you can get the latest coverage from some of Spectrum’s most important beats, including AI, climate change, and robotics, by signing up for one of our free newsletters.…

29 Apr 23

This AI Hunts for Hidden Hoards of Battery Metals

Metallurgy & Material Science

In June 2022, six Boeing 737s—fully loaded with tents, food, satellite Internet equipment, drones, geophysical survey gear, drilling equipment, and a team of experienced geologists—flew to a remote airstrip in northern Quebec. The geologists were hunting for major deposits of the minerals needed to power a clean-energy future. Given the…

08 Feb 23

Cosmic Rays Can Now 3D-Scan Nuclear Reactors

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

Cosmic rays from deep space can help 3D-scan nuclear reactors, peering inside to see if they are safe, a new study finds.When high-energy particles known as cosmic rays hit Earth’s atmosphere, they can generate massive cousins of electrons known as muons. Muons constantly bombard Earth’s surface from every angle—roughly one…

Rubidium Can Be More Than a Lithium Cast-Off

Inside an American Rare-Earth Boomtown

Interlune Aims to Mine the Moon for Helium-3

What Is Bitcoin’s True Environmental Impact?

Could Direct Lithium Extraction Be a Game-Changer?

Finding Battery Minerals With AI

This AI Hunts for Hidden Hoards of Battery Metals

Cosmic Rays Can Now 3D-Scan Nuclear Reactors

Google won two major awards at MWC Barcelona 2025.

Expanding AI Overviews and introducing AI Mode

This MRI Can Run on Batteries

The Tiny Star Explosions Powering Moore’s Law