GTSO: Apple iPad and iPhone Boom Sparks Incredible Lithium Opportunities in Urban Mining
Demand for lithium is booming around the globe thanks to an explosion in tablet and smartphone manufacturing. Green Technology Solutions’ mining subsidiary, GTSO Resources, is acting quickly to capitalize to begin recovering recycled lithium using urban mining techniques.
“Incredible Apple iPad and iPhone sales, in addition to increased demand from hybrid vehicle manufacturers, are causing a major global lithium shortage,” said GTSO CEO Paul Watson. “Lithium prices have already tripled, and no one expects them to level off anytime soon. We are positioning GTSO to exploit future growth in this rapidly growing urban mining sector.”
Prices for lithium, the lightest metal on the periodic table, have risen 300 percent since 2000 in a market now valued at $1 billion a year. Market research forecasts the lithium-ion batteries market to reach $43 billion by 2020. The conductive element is critical to the manufacture of Apple iPads and iPhones as well as many other cutting-edge electronics and vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries generate more electricity than competing cells such as lead-acid.
Apple’s aggressive release schedule for new devices creates a massive supply of obsolete tablets and phones, Watson said. The company is already targeting urban mining businesses for joint venture and acquisition capable of recovering tungsten. Moving forward, lithium recovery will be a priority as well.
Modern electronic waste now contains valuable metal deposits 40 to 50 times richer than ores mined from the ground, and up to 85 percent of these materials are lost to landfills. GTSO plans to help change that by beginning operations to recover lithium, tungsten and other critical materials from discarded iPads and other electronics.
“We forecast that urban mining of lithium and tungsten will be a high-growth market for many years to come,” Watson said.
GTSO plans to service a fast-growing global appetite for rare and precious metals to compete in an exciting sector that includes FMC Corp., Newmont Mining Corp. , and Rio Tinto .
About Green Technology Solutions, Inc.
Green Technology Solutions, Inc. [ www.GTSOresources.com ] is a growth-oriented company exploring rare earth minerals and precious metals production around the world. To learn more, please visit our website at www.GTSOresources.com/investors.html .