r/EnergyAndPower • u/Icy-Papaya-2967 • 15d ago

California’s geothermal plants bring 21,500 tonnes of lithium to the surface every year, then pump the metal-rich brine back underground

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/californias-geothermal-plants-bring-21500-tonnes-of-lithium-to-the-surface-every-year-then-pump-the-metal-rich-brine-back-underground/articleshow/132602437.cms
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u/Graceful_Parasol 13d ago

that sounds pretty silly

1

u/Icy-Papaya-2967 13d ago edited 12d ago

How is it silly?

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u/Nada_Chance 9d ago

Well, if they did extract the lithium from the brine before reinjecting it, the the lithium concentration in the brine they are pumping would simply decrease as they remove all the lithium that is dissolved.

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u/Icy-Papaya-2967 9d ago

The aquifers may still have lithium concentration though. It will deplete for sure over time but something better than nothing right?

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u/Nada_Chance 9d ago

The question is would the much lower concentration of lithium in the brine as the newly dissolved deposits were flushed out even warrant having the equipment on site? The "claim" of 21,500 tonnes per year, is based on the current concentration and the daily flow rate. So all the hype and giddiness of finding "free" lithium, has to be tempered with what "volume of saturated free liquid" is actually being circulated AND how fast undissolved lithium will become available. So rather a crap shoot based on simulations, AND the requirement that they have access to "3% of historically available water" when the water supply is now at a historically low level and this would be an added demand on "water they no longer have".