Industrial lithium mining in Salar de Atacama, Chile, began in the mid-1990s and has expanded consistently over the last 30 years. The demand for lithium, a key ingredient in rechargeable batteries, has grown with the ubiquity of smart phones, laptop computers, electric cars and other personal electronics. Salar de Atacama contains the world’s largest and purest active source of lithium, as well as more than one-quarter of the world’s lithium reserves.