2 days ago
Superman beware! Scientists claim a real-life KRYPTONITE could be the secret to a greener future
In the classic films and comics, kryptonite is Superman's ultimate weakness, robbing him of his powers.
Originating from Superman's home world of Krypton, the green alien material emits a unique, poisonous radiation that can weaken and even kill him.
Of course, kryptonite is entirely fictional, consigned to the realms of sci-fi.
But scientists at the Natural History Museum in London believe a real-life version could have surprising benefits on Earth.
Unlike the fictional kryptonite, jadarite is white and powdery, emits no radiation, and comes from Serbia rather than outer space.
The rare but promising lithium-bearing mineral, first found more than 20 years ago, is formed like 'cake ingredients combined in precise order', the scientists reveal.
And it could soon power Europe's transition to a global electric car revolution as internal combustion engines are replaced by batteries.
'If mined, jadarite can offer huge potential,' said Dr Robin Armstrong, geologist at the Natural History Museum.
Jadarite was discovered in Serbia in 2004 by mining corporation Rio Tinto, but even geologists initially were not sure what it was.
Three years later it was officially described by a team including Natural History Museum scientists Chris Stanley and Mike Rumsey.
At the time, the scientists' comparison with a database of all existing known minerals proved jadarite was totally unique.
Experts were amazed that its chemical formula was similar (but not identical) to the formula invented for kryptonite in the 2006 film 'Superman Returns'.
In the film, the fictional formula – 'sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide with fluorine' – is written on a case of kryptonite stolen by Superman's arch enemy Lex Luthor.
This coincidence attracted mass-media attention in 2007, but nearly two decades on the potential of jadarite is still yet to be realised.
Curiously, jadarite has so far only been been found in one place on Earth – Serbia's Jadar Basin, from which the mineral takes its name.
But it's been found there in a quantity so large that, if mined, it could power a green revolution.
What is jadarite?
Jadarite, which Rio named after the Jadar valley in western Serbia, is a unique high-grade mineral compound.
It has been compared with kryptonite, because its chemical formula is similar to the formula invented for kryptonite in the 2006 film 'Superman Returns'.
The lithium-bearing mineral has the 'potential to facilitate the green energy transition', scientists say.
Jadarite contains high amounts of boron and lithium, which are both relatively rare and 'industrially important' elements.
Boron is used in fertilisers and heat resistant glass for smartphones, as well as materials for wind farms and solar panels.
Lithium, meanwhile, is a key component in lithium-ion electric car batteries.
If the jadarite at Jadar Basin is mined, it could produce lithium to power up to 90 per cent of Europe's quota of electric vehicles, the scientists reveal.
To form, jadarite must follow a rare set of geological steps in specific conditions, involving alkaline-rich lakes, lithium-rich volcanic glass and the transformation of clay minerals into crystalline structures.
'Similar to baking a cake, everything needs to be measured and exact for this rare mineral to form,' said Natural History Museum mineralogist Francesco Putzolu.
'For instance, if the mineral ingredients are not just right, if the conditions are too acidic or too cold, jadarite will not form.
'The criteria seem to be so precise that we've not yet seen it replicated anywhere else on Earth.'
Dr Putzolu and two other colleagues at Natural History Museum have shared their findings in a new paper, 'Jadarite's unique recipe', published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Since its discovery and despite the global rush to find new lithium resources, no further occurrences of jadarite have been found.
So the next challenge is finding new locations around the world where conditions are also just right for jadarite to form.
'Perhaps the coincidence of geological conditions at Jadar is a recipe requiring such precision in its execution that it is more often over- or under-cooked or not with the correct proportion of ingredients to be successful,' the team say.
'The challenge for geoscientists is to find where on Earth nature may have used another similar recipe.'
In the weird world of comic books, kryptonite was a glowing green crystal capable of stripping Superman of his powers.
But a real-life crystal made from the gas element krypton could be created for the first time after scientists discovered how to synthesise it.
They discovered a compound of krypton and oxygen - technically known as krypton monoxide - can form under extremely high pressures.
While the crystal is unlikely to have properties seen in the Superman comics, there is a remote possible it could be found on alien planets, just like the fictional substance.
