{"id":458025,"date":"2023-09-13T11:56:38","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T09:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=458025"},"modified":"2023-09-13T11:56:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T09:56:38","slug":"sustainable-lithium-for-many-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/sustainable-lithium-for-many-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable lithium for many decades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Geothermal wells existing in the Upper Rhine Valley would allow for the reliable extraction of lithium for several decades without these sources running dry. This is the result of recent data analyses made by researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) that was published in <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/en16165899\">magazine <em>Energies<\/em><\/a> today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"io-block io-block__summary\"><ul><li>European efforts towards climate neutrality requires significant amounts of lithium;<\/li><li>Geothermal wells the Upper Rhine Valley can provide 2 to 12 percent of Germany&#8217;s annual lithium demand;<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the way towards climate neutrality, Europe will need large amounts of lithium for battery storage systems. So far, however, its share in the worldwide lithium extraction volume has been one percent only. For this reason, researchers of KIT study ways to extract lithium from geothermal sources. \u201cIn theory, geothermal power plants in the Upper Rhine Valley and Northern German Basin might cover between 2 and 12 percent of Germany\u2019s annual lithium demand,\u201d says Valentin Goldberg from KIT\u2019s Institute of Applied Geosciences (AGW). With his team, he calculated this potential based on an extensive data analysis. However, it has not been clear for how long extraction will be possible. Another study of the researchers now offers an optimistic perspective. \u201cAccording to our findings, lithium extraction will be possible for many years at low environmental cost,\u201d Goldberg says. \u201cThe model developed for our study describes lithium extraction in the Upper Rhine Valley. But parameters are chosen such that they can also be transferred to other joint systems.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"vlp-link-container vlp-layout-basic wp-block-visual-link-preview-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/the-lithium-boom-a-global-race-for-the-white-gold\/\" class=\"vlp-link\" title=\"The lithium boom: A global race for the white gold\"><\/a><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-side\"><div class=\"vlp-block-2 vlp-link-image\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-main\"><div class=\"vlp-block-0 vlp-link-title\">The lithium boom: A global race for the white gold<\/div><div class=\"vlp-block-1 vlp-link-summary\">As the world transitions to cleaner energy, lithium, the key ingredient in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and electronics, is in high demand. <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Modeling of Geothermal Lithium Production<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Extraction of lithium from thermal waters is no conventional type of mining. That is why no conventional methods could be applied for analysis. \u201cThe lithium dissolved in water exists in a widely branched network of joints and cavities in the rock. However, it can only be accessed at certain points via individual wells,\u201d says Dr. Fabian Nitschke, AGW, who was also involved in this study. \u201cThe reservoir dimension, hence, depends on the amount of water that can be accessed hydraulically via wells.\u201d To calculate the lithium production potential, researchers had to consider the potential water extraction volume, its lithium concentration, and lithium extraction per unit time. \u201cWe use a dynamic transport model adapted to underground conditions in the Upper Rhine Valley. It couples thermal, hydraulic, and chemical processes. Similar models are known from petroleum and gas industry, but have not yet been applied to lithium,\u201d Nitschke points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When using geothermal energy, the extracted water is pumped back into the ground via a second borehole. Researchers wanted to find out whether lithium concentration of the deep water decreases with time. The results show that lithium concentration in the extraction borehole decreases by 30 to 50 percent in the first third of the investigation period of 30 years, as the deep water is diluted by the returned water. Then, lithium concentration remains constant. \u201cThis can be attributed to the open joint system that continuously supplies fresh deep water from other directions,\u201d Nitschke says. Modeling suggests that continuous lithium extraction will be possible for decades: \u201cActually, extraction of this unconventional resource shows the classical cyclic behavior. Yields of hydrocarbon extraction or ore mining are also highest in the beginning and then start to decrease gradually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.ioplus.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-1004x565.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-458027\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Spreading of lithium-depleted thermal water around the injection borehole along the fault zone over a period of 30 years (Animation by Valentin Goldberg and Fabian Nitschke).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sensible Investment in a Sustainable Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas Kohl from AGW, who directs the corresponding research activities as Professor for Geothermal Energy and Reservoir Technology, considers the research results another argument in favor of a wide use of geothermal energy. \u201cWe already knew that geothermal sources can supply baseload-capable, renewable energy for decades. Our study now reveals that a single power plant in the Upper Rhine Valley could additionally cover up to 3 percent of the annual German lithium consumption.\u201d Kohl\u2019s group is now working on solutions for practical implementation.. Recently, it published a study in Desalination on the preliminary treatment of thermal water for resource extraction. \u201cThe next step now is to transfer this technology to the industrial scale,\u201d Kohl says. &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Geothermal wells existing in the Upper Rhine Valley would allow for the reliable extraction of lithium for several decades without these sources running dry. This is the result of recent data analyses made by researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) that was published in magazine Energies today. On the way towards climate neutrality, Europe [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2589,"featured_media":494456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[5828,69087,31405,31766,29476],"location":[24456],"article_type":[36684],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[],"class_list":["post-458025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sustainability-nl","tag-duitsland","tag-energietransitie-2","tag-kit-en","tag-lithium-nl","tag-lithium","location-germany","article_type-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"KIT Researchers see long-term perspective for lithium extraction at geothermal plants.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Team IO","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/erikdevries\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023_066_Nachhaltiges-Lithium-fuer-viele-Jahrzehnte_72-dpi.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Sustainability<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Sustainability<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Duitsland<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">energietransitie<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">KIT<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">lithium<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">lithium<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Duitsland<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">energietransitie<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">KIT<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">lithium<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">lithium<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 3 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on September 13, 2023","modified":"Updated on September 13, 2023"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on September 13, 2023 11:56 am","modified":"Updated on September 13, 2023 11:56 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2589"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/494456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458025"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=458025"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=458025"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=458025"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=458025"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=458025"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=458025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}