Geothermal brines, the naturally heated fluids found within the earth’s crust, have been utilized for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations used them for bathing and heating small rooms, and today they heat entire homes, pools, and greenhouses; are used agriculturally; and even produce electricity. As technologies advance and more is learned about the potential value of geothermal brines, the resource is gaining attention.
A cleaner and more sustainable energy source than fossil fuels, geothermal brine can not only be used to power entire cities but can also be a potential source for other commodities. Since the brines come from deep within the earth and spend time collecting debris around volcanic formations and volatile tectonic plates, they come to the earth’s surface containing energy-producing heat as well as all sorts of minerals and metals that, if efficiently separated out and concentrated up, could provide geothermal energy companies a second—and significant—stream of revenue.