I would not say "non toxic" or "safe" in regard to the aforementioned article:
It's all focused on a new easier and more economical way to produce nano-silicons which will be used as the anode material in place of the common graphite.
They say the enhanced porosity of the newly developed silica nano-sand is the key to have more surface, e.g. more current density, which is a very good thing.
But nowhere there looks to be an improvement on the safety or toxicity of lithium...
Maybe I misunderstood something, feel free to correct me 