TY - GEN
T1 - Environmental Impact Assessment of Lithium Recovery from Geothermal Brines in the SS-KGRA
T2 - 2023 Geothermal Rising Conference: Using the Earth to Save the Earth, GRC 2023
AU - Busse, Margaret M.
AU - Stokes-Draut, Jennifer
AU - Camarillo, Mary Kay
AU - Millstein, Dev
AU - Slattery, Margaret
AU - McKibben, Michael
AU - Dobson, Patrick
AU - Stringfellow, William
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Geothermal Resources Council. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - There is increasing interest in securing a reliable, domestic source of lithium in the United States to support an electrified grid and energy secure future. The Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area (SS-KGRA) has garnered attention for this purpose due to the abundance of lithium in brines brought to the surface for geothermal energy production in this region. Geothermal production from this field is already expected to grow from the current 400 MWe to 920 MWe in the next 3-4 years with a potential total geothermal capacity in the region estimated at nearly 2,950 MWe. With this growth, there is potential for construction and operation of new direct lithium recovery and processing facilities to meet domestic demands for lithium. In this work, we estimate the potential impact of geothermal expansion and lithium extraction in the SS-KGRA on water use, direct air emissions from facilities, and solid waste production and management.
AB - There is increasing interest in securing a reliable, domestic source of lithium in the United States to support an electrified grid and energy secure future. The Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area (SS-KGRA) has garnered attention for this purpose due to the abundance of lithium in brines brought to the surface for geothermal energy production in this region. Geothermal production from this field is already expected to grow from the current 400 MWe to 920 MWe in the next 3-4 years with a potential total geothermal capacity in the region estimated at nearly 2,950 MWe. With this growth, there is potential for construction and operation of new direct lithium recovery and processing facilities to meet domestic demands for lithium. In this work, we estimate the potential impact of geothermal expansion and lithium extraction in the SS-KGRA on water use, direct air emissions from facilities, and solid waste production and management.
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M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85182017199
T3 - Transactions - Geothermal Resources Council
SP - 192
EP - 200
BT - Using the Earth to Save the Earth - 2023 Geothermal Rising Conference
PB - Geothermal Resources Council
Y2 - 1 October 2023 through 4 October 2023
ER -
