While much of the original geological record is lost to erosion, durable minerals like zircon form sediments that effectively gather information from these lost worlds.
Data showed that output in January and February this year was estimated at 74.41 million tonnes, compared with 92.79 million tonnes in the same months last year.
IDTechEx estimates that a combined total of 180,000 tonnes of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese could be recovered by 2030 through Li-ion recycling.