Mining for Lithium in Geothermal Brine: Promising but Pricey (Power Mag)
 |
| (Courtesy Simbol Materials) |
Brine, the waste stream of the geothermal power production cycle, is usually considered a nuisance. High in corrosive minerals, even when reinjected, it’s challenging to manage. So when Simbol Inc. showed it had a way to turn this waste stream into a revenue stream by mining it for high-value minerals like lithium, a lot of people got excited. However, just as this article was going to press, a lot of people got laid off.
Worldwide, the U.S. is the largest producer of geothermal power; however, geothermal energy provides less than 0.5% of total generation in the U.S. Given geothermal’s small piece of the U.S. electricity pie, it may surprise you to learn that the nation is leading the way with breakthrough technology to capitalize on the use of valuable constituents found in geothermal wastewater.
Read More.........
