Source:ThinkGeoEnergy – Geothermal Energy News
Original URL:https://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/thermlon-project-for-geothermal-lithium-extraction-in-upper-rhine-graben-kicks-off/
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE), together with partners from science and industry, has officially launched the “ThermIon” project. This is a project that aims to develop direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology using the “lithium ion pump” process that will be applied initially to geothermal brine from the Upper Rhine Graben region in Germany.
The project will take into account the entire process chain from the pre-treatment of the brine, through lithium extraction, lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide crystallization to the controlled return of the brine. The challenge is to extract lithium selectively from these geothermal waters without disturbing their complex geochemical equilibrium and risking the precipitation of other ingredients such as silicates and calcites. The latter would involve considerable technical risks for the operation of the geothermal plant.
The “lithium ion pump”
Although various process approaches for extracting lithium from thermal water are already being developed, no market-ready technology is yet available. “ThermIon” aims to develop and demonstrate an environmentally friendly, economically attractive and innovative extraction technology that is initially suitable for lithium.
The particular challenge for DLE technologies is to operate them under high temperatures and very high pressures of up to 30 bar over long periods of time. The research team is relying on the “lithium ion pump” process, for which the team has carried out initial preliminary tests in the laboratory. Driven by an electric field, this “pump” stores lithium ions in a special lithium manganese oxide electrode and releases them again into a recovery solution when the polarity is reversed. This enables a concentrated lithium chloride solution of high purity to be obtained.
“I am optimistic that our process will also work on a larger scale and that in the future we will be able to extract lithium directly from the brine during the operation of a geothermal plant. Through this development, we will make a contribution to improving the supply of raw materials in Europe from domestic sources,” said Dr. Joachim Koschikowski, project manager of “ThermIon.
A transferable technology
Because the thermal water is easily comparable with other locations in the Upper Rhine Graben, the results of the project can be transferred to the 13 planned geothermal projects, which can be developed as pure heat or electricity and heat projects. The process is also fundamentally suitable for the extraction of other valuable materials.
The “ThermIon” project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) with around 2.6 million euros for three years.
Fraunhofer ISE is responsible for project management. The following partners from research and industry are also involved:
- BWG Geochemische Beratung GmbH
- Deutsche ErdWärme GmbH
- DVGW Research Centre at the EBI of KIT
- Hydroisotop GmbH
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – Department of Geothermal Research
- K-UTEC AG Salt Technologies
- University of Bremen -Chair of Energy Storage and Energy Conversion Systems
- VKTA – Strahlenschutz, Analytik & Entsorgung Rossendorf eV
Source: Fraunhofer ISE
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