I am a geologist and a geochemistry expert specifically salt water disposal wells and salt water injection or brine production wells. I hold a master’s in hydrogeology as well. There are over 100,000 wells just in the Midland basin every one of which is actually a contaminated brine production well. Oil is a by product the water is the primary fluid produced the avg is 6 barrels of salt water to one barrel of oil I have seen over 100:1 and never less than one to one. Point is that produced brine is loaded with lithium over 300 cars worth per DAY per well with a hundred thousand wells to tap. One of my alma mater has technologies that more than one of my clients are in beta testing as we speak harvesting lithium salts in the Permian.
As for cobalt that metal is being removed from LIon cells. LFP cells use zero cobalt and the new Li manganese cells not only have 6 times the power density they also fast charge at ten times the rates of lithium nickel cobalt cathode.
Oops forgot the massive nickel and absolutely huge manganese ore thare in international waters just waiting for the taking.
Dang!
Did I pay too much for a dry lake bed near Silver Peak, NV?