Ponds are dinosaurs, page-10

Nothing yet but Direct Lithium Extraction is on that path and it will succeed. Ponds have been around for 2000 years. My point is that ponds can't handle the massive increase in demand plus they have inherent inefficiencies. This didn't matter when Lithium demand was low but every day it matters more. Humans are by nature problem solvers and the lithium bottleneck will have a technological solution. My bet is that it will come in the form of DLE.
It also has a political dimension. Bolivia has declared that its lithium won't be developed using ponds. Chile recently attempted to pass a new constitution (it failed) but the new constitution would have put power over water use into local hands. This is the direction, and it's not good for pond operators who are already in court in Chile defending against accusations of overusing their allocations. In China, we see protests about the environmental damage caused by ponds.