【时代图集】蕴藏在玻利维亚盐沼之下的锂矿财富

The government of Evo Morales maintains control of half the world supply of a valuable resource, critical in the production of the latest battery technologies

埃沃·莫拉莱斯（Evo Morales）掌权的玻利维亚政府控制着占全世界供应量一半的锂矿，这种宝贵的资源是用来生产新型蓄电池的关键材料

Photographs by Noah Friedman-Rudovsky

摄影：Noah Friedman-Rudovsky

Eerie but Valuable

怪诞的藏宝之地

High in the Andes, in a remote corner of Bolivia, lies Salar de Uyuni, a salt flat where geologists have discovered a vast supply of lithium, an unusual mineral that is used to make the lithium-ion batteries that power most portable electronic devices manufactured today. This same technology is also expected to find wide application in the production of the electric cars that figure prominently in the business plans of all of the world's top automakers.

乌尤尼盐沼位于玻利维亚的一个偏远角落，地质学家发现这块藏身于安第斯高原之上的盐滩中蕴藏了大量的锂矿，锂是一种不同寻常的矿物元素，可以被用来制造为时下最轻便电子设备供能的锂离子电池。锂电池技术也将有望被广泛应用到电动汽车的生产中去，电动汽车已经成为世界顶级汽车厂商商业开发计划所重点关注的对象了。

Extraction

提取

The flats do not yield their mineral wealth very easily. Once pumped up from beneath the surface, the saltwater containing the lithium is left to dry in a series of evaporation pools.

从盐沼中收获这种矿物财富并不是一件轻而易举的事情。含锂的盐水从地底下被抽上来以后，置入一系列的蒸发池以去除水分。

Precious

视若珍宝

As the brine dries, the salts are precipitated off gradually, yielding a more pure brine that is essentially lithium and salt.

随着水分的蒸发，盐逐渐沉淀下来，含锂和盐类的盐水会变得更纯。

In the Lab

实验室研究

A Bolivian chemist displays a small amount of lithium carbonate. Currently, a pilot plant operated by the Bolivian state mining company is producing small quantities of lithium carbonate as they experiment with different modes of extraction. So far, the Bolivian government has kept strict control of the process, and have only allowed foreign companies and scientists to assist them as consultants in a scientific committee.

一位玻利维亚化学家正在展示提取出来的少量碳酸锂。一家由玻利维亚国家矿业公司经营的试验工厂最近正在利用不同的提取方法生产少量的碳酸锂。玻利维亚政府目前对碳酸锂的生产过程实行严格控制，只允许外国公司和科学家以科学顾问的形式协助研究。

Texture

财富源泉

Among Bolivians, there is strong sentiment to keep the salt flats and its riches under Bolivian control. In this photo, Bolivia Congressmen and Senators from the MAS (Movement to Socialism) Party visit the flats.

对于玻利维亚人来说，只有把这片盐滩和其中蕴藏的财富握在自己人的手中才最保险。在这幅照片中，来自执政党社会主义运动党（Movement to Socialism Party）的玻利维亚国会议员和参议员们正在视察乌尤尼盐沼。

Vast

储量丰富

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that 5.4 million tons of lithium could possibly be found beneath the Salar de Uyuni. By way of comparison, it is estimated that the second largest deposit, in Chile, could yield 3 million tons. The U.S. only possess approximately 410,000 tons.

美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey）估计乌尤尼盐沼中大约蕴藏着540万吨锂。相比之下，位于智利的世界第二大锂矿可生产300万吨锂；而美国只掌握了41万吨的锂资源。

Drill

钻探

The Bolivian flag flies over equipment on the salt flats. Most of the lithium produced in the world is currently used to make batteries for mobile devices, but the market for electric automobile batteries, which would require 14 to 20 kilograms apiece (compared with the 30 grams that go into smaller batteries) is huge. If electric cars catch on, the world will need Bolivia's lithum.

盐沼中的机器设备上有玻利维亚国旗在飘扬。目前，全世界生产出来的大部分锂都用在了移动设备的电池中，但是随着汽车电池市场的兴起（单块汽车电池需要14公斤到20公斤的锂，而小型电池仅需要30克），玻利维亚人的锂矿将会越来越炙手可热。

Liquid Wealth

液体财富

A worker pours off the lithium and salt mixture that will be taken to a lab for further refining. One U.S. analyst has suggested that the demand for lithium will increase approximately 40% in the next five years.

工人正在倾倒锂和盐水混合物，这些混合物会被运回实验室作进一步提纯。一位美国分析人士表示，今后五年全世界对锂的需求量大约会增加40%。

Horizon

一望无际

For decades the salt flats have simply been a curiosity for adventure travelers who come by the tens of thousand each year, and a source of subsistence for impoverished salt gatherers who scrape mounds of salt and sell it as table salt. The production of lithum, which requires months of slow evaporation and weeks of refining in a lab, could transform the salt flats into the economic engine of Bolivia.

几十年来，每年有成千上万游客光临的乌尤尼盐沼不但是满足探险旅游者好奇心的乐园，也是贫穷的盐农们讨生活的地方，他们依靠从这里挖盐卖盐为生。和盐类生产不一样，生产锂需要几个月的缓慢蒸发和数星期的实验室提纯，但即便如此，乌尤尼盐沼还是会依靠这种珍贵的矿藏一跃成为玻利维亚的经济增长引擎。

Full Moon Rising

满月升起

Many international companies have approached Bolivia to work the salt flats, with Mitsubishi, LG, and the French company Bollor being the leading contenders. But Bolivian President Evo Morales is committed to maintaining Bolivian control over the project while partnering with a foreign company, making negotiations complex.

很多国际大公司已经与玻利维亚政府进行了接洽和协商，试图在乌尤尼盐沼上分得一杯羹，三菱、LG和一家名为Bollor的法国公司都是有力的竞争者。玻利维亚总统埃沃·莫拉莱斯已经承诺将保证乌尤尼盐沼的国有地位，同时和外国公司进行合作开发，一时间谈判局面愈发错综复杂。

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