If there’s one thing that comic book enthusiasts and DC Universe aficionados will be familiar with, it’s Kryptonite.

The substance is green and radioactive, and it can cause immense damage to inhabitants of Krypton, the planet that Superman calls home.

Thus, it is Superman’s primary weakness… or, as popular culture influenced vernacular would state, Kryptonite is Superman’s Kryptonite.

But this radioactive green substance isn’t real, of course. Or is it?

Well, no, it isn’t.

But, as with most fictional things, it does have similar groundings in reality. And according to researchers from the Natural History Museum (London, UK), a substance that is not dissimilar to Kryptonite has had its composition revealed for the first time, in an article published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The mineral, known as jadarite, has so far been located only in the Jadar Basin of Serbia. The good news? There’s lots of it.

In fact, researchers from the Natural History Museum estimate that if Serbia’s jadarite was mined, it would have the potential to power around 90% of the electric vehicles in the entirety of Europe.

As the Natural History Museum’s Dr Robin Armstrong explained in a statement, this is huge:

“As the demand for lithium continues in the race toward renewable energy, if mined, jadarite can offer huge potential. This process brings us closer to identifying other possible deposits by unravelling the formation conditions in the lab.”

With its high lithium content, the mineral could solve many of the problems posed by Europe’s attempts to become greener, for a healthier planetary future.

Why is it present in so few places? Well, the conditions in which jadarite forms are very specific, making it quite rare.

That’s because the mineral – which is white, not green – requires alkaline lakes, volcanic glass with a lithium content, and clay in order to form. This very specific shopping list seemingly, so far at least, only exists all together in this singular part of the world, as the Natural History Museum’s Dr Francesco Putzolu continued:

“Similar to baking a cake, everything needs to be measured and exact for this rare mineral to form. 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!”

However, unlike other lithium sources, jadarite is much less costly – both financially and to the surrounding landscape – to extract, meaning that although it is rare, it is a viable option for green energy.

And as we search for efficient and effective paths toward a greener planet, jadarite could just be the climate crisis’s Kryptonite.

If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.