https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/05/20200514-cec.html
Quote
...The California Energy Commission (CEC) awarded $7.8 to two lithium recovery projects. Uniquely high concentrations of the dissolved soft metal are found in the brine produced by the state's geothermal hotspots.
The Salton Sea Known Geothermal Area contains an estimated six million tons of recoverable lithium within presently available geothermal resources. Yet, significant barriers stand in the way of accessing this abundant resource and using it to achieve many of the state's statutory energy goals, including increasing the value of geothermal resources to California's electricity system...
...California's vast lithium deposits—as much as one third of the world's current lithium demand according to some industry estimates—are also seen as a way to propel the state's green economy. Deposits in the Imperial Valley alone could potentially produce up to $860 million annually in revenues, according to the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory....
...The major challenges for lithium production in this region relate to the harsh chemistry of the brine and the difficultly of developing a low-cost and highly selective process for lithium recovery. These challenges have to date prevented commercial deployment of conventional lithium recovery technologies.
The new lithium recovery projects awarded funding are designed to help reduce costs and environmental impact...
Quote
...The California Energy Commission (CEC) awarded $7.8 to two lithium recovery projects. Uniquely high concentrations of the dissolved soft metal are found in the brine produced by the state's geothermal hotspots.
The Salton Sea Known Geothermal Area contains an estimated six million tons of recoverable lithium within presently available geothermal resources. Yet, significant barriers stand in the way of accessing this abundant resource and using it to achieve many of the state's statutory energy goals, including increasing the value of geothermal resources to California's electricity system...
...California's vast lithium deposits—as much as one third of the world's current lithium demand according to some industry estimates—are also seen as a way to propel the state's green economy. Deposits in the Imperial Valley alone could potentially produce up to $860 million annually in revenues, according to the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory....
...The major challenges for lithium production in this region relate to the harsh chemistry of the brine and the difficultly of developing a low-cost and highly selective process for lithium recovery. These challenges have to date prevented commercial deployment of conventional lithium recovery technologies.
The new lithium recovery projects awarded funding are designed to help reduce costs and environmental impact...