Geothermal Event! Accelerating Geothermal Lithium Extraction Technology - A Panel Discussion at the GRC Annual Meeting & Expo

GRC Annual Meeting & Expo - Panel: Accelerating Geothermal Lithium Extraction Technology

1:30 - 3:10pm, September 16,
Mojave Room at the Palm Springs Convention Center

Moderator: Charlene Wardlow, California Department of Conservation – Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources

"Geothermal Energy the savior of Salton Sea",
by Alexander Schriener Jr.

Panelists:

• Derek Benson (EnergySource)
• Rod Colwell (CTR)
• David Deak (Marbex)
• Elisabeth de Jong (CEC)
• Anna Wall (Capstone)

Mineral recovery from geothermal brines, particularly at the Salton Sea, has been thought about and researched for over 40 years. The silica laden brines have caused many challenges to operations resulting in patents to manage the fluids to inject them and to help stop all the facilities from scaling up. The brines contain an abundance of different elements but currently the metal of most interest is lithium. 

The market for lithium batteries continues to grow, especially driven by expanding demand in the electric vehicle market, yet most of the supply of lithium comes from China. Thus, domestic resources have become more important for national security for the USA and our economic growth, especially in the Imperial Valley of Southern California. 

The panel will review the world lithium supply including geothermal brines, the economics of recovery, environmental issues associated with current lithium resources and, importantly, a discussion on how to accelerate the extraction technology.

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