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There could be large reserves of much sought-after lithium in Arkansas, according to researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey, but sustainably extracting the element from the underground brine reservoir will require continued innovation.
Greeshma Gadikota
Assistant Professor and Croll Sesquicentennial Fellow in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Greeshma Gadikota directs the Sustainable Energy and Resource Recovery Group at Cornell University’s College of Engineering.
Gadikota says:
“Even though the concentration of lithium in produced water ranges from 20 – 300 ppm which is quite low, the rising demand for lithium for use in battery materials has spurred technological advances in recovering lithium at these concentrations. Demonstration units will provide valuable lessons into the actual, as opposed to the perceived potential to economically harness lithium from brines.
“The increasing availability of low carbon electricity is also motivating advances in the electrochemical capture of lithium. When considering scaling up of these technologies, it is essential for companies to consider the source of energy that is used. Harnessing renewable energy to power direct lithium extraction technologies greatly lowers the associated greenhouse gas emissions footprint and brings us closer towards realizing the mission of creating a decarbonized supply of lithium.”
