The notion of utilising lithium as an ecologically friendly and locally accessible by-product of geothermal energy plants, pumping up thermal water, isolating lithium, and using it to make batteries for electric mobility, looks to be very promising. The value of domestic lithium mining has not yet been made evident.
The current state of the art has been compiled, raw material markets have been examined, and technologies have been evaluated by a team of researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). They claim that although it may theoretically be feasible to harvest hundreds of tonnes of lithium annually in Germany, important details still need to be resolved.
Europe needs a lot of batteries and enough lithium to make them make the energy transition. Lithium is thus categorised as an essential resource by the European Union (EU). There is a chance of running out of lithium. “Imports are our only source of income. 80 per cent of the world’s lithium deposits are found in Chile and Australia “according to Valentin Goldberg of the Institute of Applied Geosciences at KIT (AGW). At the same time, we knowingly accept significant environmental costs associated with the traditional mining of lithium in these nations, including detrimental effects on groundwater.
In contrast, lithium extraction in geothermal power plants is anticipated to be based on the infrastructure already in place in Europe, where significant amounts of thermal water with a very high lithium content are retrieved. After generating electricity, lithium will be separated, and the leftover water will be re-injected into the ground as is customary in normal operation.
“We have a lot of hope for this technology, in theory. Almost little room would be required, and transportation and environmental expenses would be minimal “says Goldberg. Goldberg and his colleagues at AGW have gathered the information that is now accessible, examined it, and for the first time assessed the potential for Germany to realistically predict the probable future share of domestic lithium.
The amount of lithium that might be extracted from the water depends on the content of lithium as well as the reservoir size and location-dependent flow rate. The researchers examined probable sites in Germany, researched raw material markets, and evaluated different technologies for effectiveness, adaptability, and integration in geothermal energy generation to make their estimates.
According to Dr Fabian Nitschke, AGW, who was also involved in the studies, “on this basis, we have obtained an optimistic annual production estimate of about 2600 to 4700 tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent, provided that all relevant geothermal energy plants are equipped with the necessary systems.” With this, we could produce between 2% and 13% of the yearly volume required for Germany’s projected battery output.
The extraction volumes could rise if more geothermal power plants are built. A newly planned power plant, though, won’t go into service for at least five years. “The situation in Germany will likely become worse due to the anticipated worldwide lithium shortage and the expected increase in battery output. Due to this, lithium produced by geothermal power plants will, over the long run, serve as a supplement to imported resources “says Nitschke.
comparisons directly between several technologies
The size and origins of lithium deposits in geothermal systems, as well as how the reservoirs will react to ongoing extraction, are still being explored, therefore predictions are still susceptible to numerous uncertainties. Furthermore, there is still much work to be done on crucial development procedures and long-term testing for extraction technologies.
However, a direct comparison already identifies distinct benefits and downsides that are particularly pertinent to economically effective lithium extraction, according to Dr Tobias Kluge, an additional research author. Economic efficiency is directly impacted by the need for new resources, damage from deposits in boreholes and extraction equipment, and energy usage.
The question of whether lithium will be mined from German geothermal power plants is not, however, one that will be decided by new technological advancements or ideal sites. Valentin Goldberg underlines that there will be a need for public support and acceptance. “We don’t only write for professionals in the magazine Grundwasser (Groundwater). Instead, we want to provide interested citizens and decision-makers in politics and business the ability to learn directly and independently about possibilities and difficulties.”
