From Tuscan lithium to rare earths in Sardinia:where to look for "critical materials" for the energy transition in Italy

The European shift towards electric cars will cause demand for these raw materials to surge.And now explorations have restarted in our country too

With the transition from motor cars to electric cars, the European Union promises to revolutionize the transport sector to make it more sustainable.For this to happen, however, it is not enough to convince companies in the supply chain to reconvert their production.We need to start much earlier.In particular, from the procurement of raw materials.«Lithium and rare earths will soon become more important than oil and natural gas.Their demand is destined to increase fivefold between now and 2030", stated the President of the European Commission. Ursula von der Leyen in a speech to the European Chamber.With the expression critical raw materials – in Italian, «critical materials» – indicates all the metals and elements useful for the energy transition.An example?Lithium, which today is used in the production of electric batteries and accumulators.Or cobalt, which – just like lithium – finds its main use in energy systems storage of energy.Or again:rare earths, a group of fifteen chemical elements used in hybrid car engines or in the magnets that make wind turbines work.To date, European countries import almost all of these materials.And to meet the growing demand the European Commission is working on Critical Raw Materials Act, which moves along two directions:on the one hand, research and extraction on European soil;on the other, the development of a strategy to ensure a regular (and convenient) supply from abroad.

Critical materials in the world and Italy's disadvantage

The energy transition has transformed the exchange of critical materials into one of the most powerful geopolitical tools.To date, in fact, the production of these materials is controlled by a handful of countries, which control the most profitable deposits.The lion's share is China, which holds 40% of the world's reserves of rare earths and is responsible for around 80% of their global production.The EU, in fact, imports 97% of the rare earths it consumes from Beijing, with all the resulting risks.And a similar argument also applies to lithium.Just in recent days, for example, the government of Xi Jinping ha announced of wanting to block extraction in the Jiangxi province due to environmental irregularities, risking causing an earthquake on the world market.The other major producers of this metal are located in South America.There, in fact, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia make up the so-called "lithium triangle", where 59% of the world's extraction is concentrated.70% of cobalt, however, comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is extracted by exploiting legislative backwardness in terms of environmental protection and worker safety.

And in Italy?Are there areas of our peninsula where deposits of critical materials are hidden?«If I knew how to answer with certainty, I would have already become a millionaire», jokes Andrea Dini, researcher at the CNR Institute of Geosciences and Georesources.First of all, it must be said that our country - and with us the rest of Europe - starts from a situation of great disadvantage.«Rare earths are found mainly in geologically older areas, such as Siberia, China, Brazil, Africa.Europe, which is the youngest part of the continents, has very few", explains Sandro Conticelli, president of the Italian Geological Society.A situation that weighs even more heavily on our country, where the geological disadvantage is also compounded by a chronic delay in the geological and mining research sector.

Lithium hidden under Tuscany and Lazio

In 2021, the Ministry for Economic Development - now the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy - launched a technical table for critical raw materials.The objective:update regulations and map the most promising areas.To date, one of the projects that is catalyzing the most efforts concerns the search for lithium between lower Tuscany and Lazio.«It is a volcanic area hundreds of kilometers long, which starts from Mount Amiata and reaches the Campi Flegrei.There, deep down, there are large quantities of hot water, in which in the 1970s Enel and Agip found enormous percentages of lithium", explains Andrea Dini.The searches, however, were soon interrupted:«In those years everyone consumed oil, no one could afford lithium», recalls the Cnr researcher.

Based on those explorations and the geology of the area, experts believe that this is precisely the strip of land where the greatest potential for lithium-rich fluids is concentrated.The process to get to the actual extraction, however, is still long and complex.«Near Bracciano, Enel had a preliminary research permit.By the end of the year they will have to decide whether or not to invest in deep exploration", explains the researcher.The process by which lithium should be extracted involves several steps.First of all, identify a precise area where it is easier to intercept the fluids flowing underground.After that, geothermal wells will have to be built to bring the hot water to the surface.«At that point – continues Dini – the liquids will be able to respond to three functions:production of electricity, district heating of some neighboring municipalities and extraction of lithium, before the liquid is pumped back underground."

The other critical materials in Italy

Lithium research in Tuscany and Lazio is not the only project underway in Italy.Another promising front in the search for critical materials concerns cobalt.In Piedmont, in fact, this metal was already extracted centuries ago, when it was used in the ceramic sector.The mines, now abandoned, are located on both sides of Punta Corna, a mountain in the Lanzo Valleys, in the province of Turin.«An Australian company is conducting exploration in some abandoned mines.The objective is to establish whether the conditions exist to reopen the plants and start extraction without impacting too much on the landscape", underlines Dini.

As regards rare earths, however, the focus shifts to Sardinia.In particular, in mine of Muscadroxiu, near the town of Silius, about fifty kilometers from Cagliari.Barite and fluorite, two heavy minerals destined to disappear in the coming years, have been mined here for decades.Today, however, Mineraria Gerrei is thinking of reopening the mine for the extraction of rare earths.Last September, then, theUniversity of Ferrara discovered one of the most promising rare earth deposits in Europe in the Buddusò marble quarry, in the province of Sassari.In addition to lithium, cobalt and rare earths, there are dozens of critical raw materials necessary for the production of batteries, accumulators or electronic devices.Among them there is also zinc.«It may seem like a banal metal, but today there is a huge demand», specifies the Cnr researcher.«In Gorno, near Bergamo, there is a mine where zinc was extracted until the 1990s.Today we are evaluating whether there is still enough to start new explorations."

The environmental impact and the unknown recycling

For how long the environmental impact of an electric car remains lower than that of a petrol car, the raw materials needed to produce the batteries are by no means zero-emission.The extraction of one ton of lithium, for example, requires 500 thousand liters of water and produces far from negligible CO2 emissions.In the case of cobalt, the collateral damage is even worse.In addition to being energy intensive, the extraction of this metal often requires explosive charges, which release fine dust and particulates into the atmosphere.Furthermore, for years, various NGOs have been denouncing the nightmare conditions of those who work in the mines in Congo, the world's leading producer of cobalt.Yet, according to Diego Gatta, professor of the Earth Sciences department at the University of Milan, it doesn't necessarily have to be like this.«Today we already have the necessary knowledge to ensure that the environmental impact of these extractions is reduced to a minimum.Rather, it is a question of will", explains Gatta.«Today we can extract the same elements in various places in the world with very different processes.Some are very expensive but have a low environmental impact, others are more profitable but highly polluting", specifies the professor.The fact that today a large part of the mines are located in third world nations is not at all coincidental.These are countries where there is often no environmental legislation and where workplace safety regulations are less stringent.

In addition to investing in less polluting extraction processes, the European Union has another path available:recycling.«The fact that we have so few raw materials available within our borders should push us to invest heavily in research and recycling policies», continues Gatta.Also in this case the country from which to take inspiration is China, where the recovery of metals from electronic waste is already a reality.«Mobile phones and all the electronic devices that we throw into landfill are a gold mine... or rather, of rare earths!», recalls Sandro Conticelli.«The circular economy is a declination of sustainability.The objective now is to invest in research to make current recycling processes increasingly convenient", adds the president of the Italian Geological Society.

The role of the geologist

To cope with the dizzying growth in demand for critical materials, Brussels has indicated two paths.The first, as mentioned, concerns investments in research and exploration on European soil.Given the geological limits, however, it is inevitable that European countries will be forced to continue to turn abroad.For this reason, the European Commission has launched a series of initiatives, including the Global Gateway, to ensure the supply of the necessary raw materials.«This is the path for the future – confirms Gatta –.To guarantee European independence, we will have to turn to those countries, especially in Africa, which have deposits of raw materials but which lack the know-how».At the moment, China is the country that is investing the most on the African continent.Beijing's investments, however, are not always looked upon favorably by local populations, especially due to the environmental and social repercussions.And this is precisely where the European Union could fit in, proposing more ethically acceptable investments and committing itself to guaranteeing more rigorous environmental standards.

In short, whether it is extracting raw materials at home or abroad, European countries still have a long way to go between now and 2035.And Italy, at least as regards critical materials, will have to run even faster than everyone else.«Of course, we are at a geological disadvantage.But we are even more so from a cultural point of view", warns Conticelli.«Do Italians know how many professors of mineral deposits there are in Italy?Very few.And how many geologists?Very few.If we don't start really investing in research and training, we won't go anywhere."This feeling of abandonment is shared by most geologists.The hope now is that it is precisely the renewed attention towards critical materials that will turn the situation around.«These raw materials are the future and it is up to us to be able to indicate where they can be found, offering a recipe for both economic and environmental sustainability – underlines Conticelli -.The geologist's profession will be increasingly important."

Cover photo:UNSPLASH/ALEXANDER SCHIMMECK | The Salar de Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia is one of the largest lithium reserves in the world

Graphics by:VINCENZO MONACO