User:Joelslaby/sandbox

= 2400s (Decade) = From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2400s (Decade) time period represents our current global state and is largely defined by the point in time that the last mineral of Lithium Chloride was extracted from the mines in the year 2388. After the discovery of the high energy density of lithium and the development of lithium-ion batteries, the demand of lithium produced greatly increased. This production level became unsustainable bringing us to a Resource Scarcity Alert in 2307 that demanded global change in our lithium consumption. Despite successful attempts to curb lithium consumption, ultimately we reached a lithium exhaustion point in 2388. Based on our growing dependence on Lithium since the 2000s, the Lithium Exhaustion Point in 2388 required a complete shift in our society’s technology and energy sector. Our present living conditions can be explained by understanding the history of lithium production and the effects of the Lithium Exhaustion Point on our society. The sudden scarcity of lithium prompted several technological developments that transformed how we engage with technology on a daily basis, but successful implementation of these technological developments has been limited. Unsuccessful implementation of the lithium-free technology led to powered down cities, causing a majority of people to migrate to powered cities, creating super cities. These supercities are incapable of sustaining a high population density and our current state is in need of reform.

Rise of Lithium Production
Lithium was produced in a variety of ways because for each of the deposits of lithium there was a different mineral composition that required its own extraction method. Lithium brine extraction and hard rock mining were the primary methods of extraction and contributed to a global production of 20.8 thousand metric tons per year (US data withheld) in 2010, a 285% increase from production in 1991. This increase in the extraction and production of Lithium can be localized to the onset of commercial production of lithium-ion batteries in 1991. Lithium-Ion batteries became known for their high efficiency and large energy capacity, making them ideal for portable energy storage. Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark found that “the Li-ion, NaS and NiCd batteries seem to represent the leading technologies in high-power-density battery applications. Of these, Li-ion possesses the greatest potential for future development and optimization.” Quickly, small portable batteries became ubiquitous in society making mobile phones, laptops, electric vehicles, and electric planes easily accessible.

After the exhaustion of petroleum in 2068, the globe was forced to turn to entirely renewable energy sources which are dependent on lithium-ion battery energy storage technology, further increasing the demand for lithium. The same researchers argued that "energy storage technology will be the key to the future development of renewable energy.” In the 2100s, researchers found more efficient and energy dense methods that utilize lithium and that allowed them to develop drone technology capable of carrying individual people a few hundred kilometers in one charge. Transportation became simple, efficient and cheap. However, the production demand of lithium drastically rose to meet the rise in technological uses.

Resource Scarcity Alert
In 2307, the Mineral Agency in the Environmental Department of the Hemispheric Government of West sent a global alert: “Global Emergency Alert 233F6”

“Resource Scarcity Alert: Global Lithium Reserves Low”

“Projected Exhaustion Date: Year 2343”

“Current Mineral Dependence Level: HIGH”

“Priority Level: Immediate Action Required” Much like the Petroleum Scarcity Alert in 2023 and the Water Scarcity Alert in 2172, this alert required a global commitment to the de-escalation of lithium production in order to prevent mass chaos and destabilization. Given the successfulness of the Environment Agency in predicting those two Resource Alerts, the Agency was highly valued and well-funded allowing them to produce more accurate research. Thus, nations across the world accepted this alert and immediately placed lithium consumption regulations on their companies to decrease production demand. Additionally, universities began prioritizing research on alternative technology to lithium-based devices. Following these changes, global lithium extraction decreased by 50% over the next ten years.

Exhaustion Point
On March 28th, 2388, the last mine in Chile announced it had exhausted its lithium supply. Chile was the last known source of lithium extraction and with that announcement brought a grave global realization that lithium had been officially exhausted from all sources. Lithium was no longer a viable resource of consumption. This announcement came 45 years after the projected exhaustion date highlighting the global effectiveness at prolonging Lithium. Since, the alert was given 82 years prior to this announcement, companies and universities were successfully able to research and develop alternative technologies to mitigate this exhaustion. As a society we were not able to completely transition our society to lithium-free and our daily life suffered several consequences as a result of it.

Wireless Grid
Researchers at the International University of Electrical Engineering in Zone F developed new wireless technology in 2322 that spurred a new method for storing and using energy. This technology is based off of research done in the year 2019 that found that “by integrating the ultrafast MoS2 rectifier with a flexible Wi-Fi-band antenna, we [can] fabricate a fully flexible and integrated rectenna that achieves wireless energy harvesting of electromagnetic radiation in the Wi-Fi band with zero external bias (battery-free).” Essentially, they developed a way to efficiently transfer electrical energy through air by means of electromagnetic waves with minimal energy loss and minimal power required. This method of energy transfer uniquely allowed devices to connect to the energy they needed, on demand. The grid functioned as it did before the loss of petroleum except the energy sources are now all renewable. Instead of sending the energy into lithium-ion batteries for storage and use it later, the energy is used to pump water up a few hundred feet and form a huge hydroelectric battery. When energy is needed for the grid, water is released and the potential energy is converted to kinetic and then electrical energy, thus powering the grid. Deep learning algorithms are used to effectively determine how much water should be dropped and when in order to ensure adequate energy is supplied to the grid.

Using the technology developed by this university, devices are now designed to be able to connect to the grid wirelessly and become powered wirelessly. If one person is in a location incorporated by the grid, that person can power any device they need. This revolutionary technology significantly decreased the need for lithium-ion batteries and even any form of battery technology. Electric cars no longer needed huge battery packs and now have three times the range and twice the carrying capacity than they did back in the 2000s. Despite these innovations in technology, however, the physical implementation of these systems has been limited and has required significantly longer amounts of time than projected. Currently, only 53% of the inhabited regions of the world are connected to the wireless grid. There are hundreds of cities who have now powered down after the Lithium Exhaustion Point in 2389. People have migrated to these cities creating densely populated areas overusing the wireless grid and limiting its power output.

Energy Storage
With the development of the wireless grid, also came the development of alternative energy storage elements to replace lithium-based ones. Two ideas were proposed in the 2000’s and after in-depth research, the ideas have been developed to become robust and energy dense storage alternatives. Researchers from Stanford found that “fuel cells are the most promising to reduce greenhouse emissions” and today hydrogen fuel cells currently dominate the market. Fuel cell charging stations can be found at every electric car charging station. The reusability, lack of carbon emissions, and efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells make them ideal alternatives to lithium ion batteries. The Petroleum Exhaustion instigated an investment in the hydrogen fuel cell infrastructure thus allowing this technology to more easily permeate society. The second device, a supercapacitor, also serves as powerful battery. A supercapacitor is carbon based and has the same capabilities of a high-power battery allowing versatile use in high power consumption areas. Research of supercapacitors initialized in 2012 with the usage of a supercapacitor as the energy storage system for a photo-voltaic cell. With the limitations on the power output of wireless grids, especially in densely populated areas, these devices serve to replace lithium-ion batteries and provide a small portable energy storage device.

Environment
Even though there is no more viable lithium to extract for use, all the lithium that was mined is now present in society and the consequences of such are exhibited in the environment. Lithium is subsequently discarded, often incorrectly by misinformed citizens. As a result, many rivers are contaminated with Lithium runoff posing a new a problem to our water supply. Research conducted in 2007 in the San Pedro River in Chihuahua, Mexico, found that this river was “contaminated with heavy metals” including lithium. This research prompted further studies later when in 2352, there was a bass extinction in the upper seas of the Southern Antarctic Council. The cause of which was determined to be rooted in excess lithium build up in the water in that region. The concentration of the lithium in the seas is minimal, but in that region many seas flow into it and it became a chemical sink for lithium. Given that bass fishing was the primary economic trade of the Southern Antarctic Council, that region has since shut down. This is a problem that we have been facing since the announcement of the Resource Scarcity Alert, when the world began to more deeply explore the consequences of extracting lithium. Lithium extraction also pollutes the air in the local region. All towns who developed lithium extraction facilities have since been shutdown and the town evacuated. As we have now run out of lithium and turned to other minerals to supply our energy needs, it will not be long before the Mineral Agency in the Environmental Department of the Hemispheric Government of West issues another mineral alert. As we develop more energy storage and usage technologies, the environmental impact should be taken into account when assessing the validity and feasibility of the idea.

Powered Down Cities
Cities unable to develop their grid by the lithium exhaustion point collapsed over the period of a few months. It wasn't an immediate collapse because energy storage methods had been slowly implemented after the Resource Scarcity Alert. Since these cities lacked a developed grid, the overall city electrical grid collapsed and the city became unsustainable. People slowly began evacuating the city in search of a viable place. A small percentage of the population was forced to remain in these cities and fend for themselves as they no longer had a functioning method of transportation. These people essentially live in environment tending towards zero-energy use as the lithium ion batteries began to stop functioning. Since the modern technologies discussed earlier have not been implemented in these powered down cities, people must scavenge for leftover food and circumstances are nearly unlivable. This led to an extreme migration to cities that implemented the newer technology and the wireless grid, producing super cities.

Super Cities
Super cities proactively researched and implemented lithium-free technology allowing the lithium exhaustion point to minimally affect them. The daily life of a citizen included personal transportation by drone to work, personal phones maintaining 100% battery due to the wireless grid, and externally powered electric cars with unlimited range within the grid. Citizens also overall use less energy than they did in the early 2000s as governmental laws forced a reduced energy use and better technology provided a way of using less energy. Despite this lifestyle, these cities were not prepared for the influx of people from powered down cities and quickly the grid became overused. The wireless grid has a limited power output and with hundreds of people accessing it in a small area many zones had energy failures. This was mitigated by citizens using newly developed lithium free portable battery storage elements, but the shear amount of people ultimately over powered the system.