LKE towards TOP-5, page-6212

I'm not sure, that banned is the correct word, but I do think that ponds are approaching their use by date. Ponds deplete the aquifer at the current rate of extraction, it's hard to see how they can be massively expanded to satisfy the massive expansion in demand. In Chile Albemarle requested an enlargement of their brine take in 2009 it was granted after 7 years and a visit to the Supreme court then off to another court when Albemarle and SQM were accused of exceeding their water take. In days gone by the governments usually military dictatorships granted the companies whatever they wanted, but it's a new age and the interests of indigenous people are taken more seriously.
Then there's the issue of wastage. How happy would you be if you were a shareholder of a company that left 50% of the lithium in the waste, as the pond producers do.
So that's why I think ponds are history, one they won't get approved, and two shareholders will want more efficient methods of extraction.
Once someone shows that they have a better method of extraction then that will become the industry standard, the old methods like the horse and cart will virtually disappear. Sure, someone will ride around in a horse and cart, but it won't be the norm.