DOE releases remaining funding for project on lithium extraction from geothermal brine
The Chemetall Foote Lithium Operation in Clayton Valley (Soruce: Flickr, CC, By: Doc Searls)
Alexander Richter
27 Jan 2016
A research project by three private partners has received remaining funding by the U.S. Department of Energy for their work on a cost-effective method for lithium extraction from geothermal brines.
As announced today, the U.S. Department of Energy has – based on the progress today – released the remaining funding for a research and development project that is working on a novel cost-effective methods for lithium extraction from geothermal brines. The project is conducted by Esmeralda Minerals LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pure Energy Minerals Limited , in collaboration with SRI International, a research and innovation center. Nitto Innovations Inc. (NII), a US subsidiary of the Japanese diversified materials manufacturer Nitto Denko Corporation, has also joined the project.
The partners want to develop, validate and commercialize a new generation of highly selective ion exchange resins to separate metals, including lithium, from geothermal fluids more efficiently and at lower cost than current processes. The research is being conducted using lithium-enriched brines collected from the a lithium brine project in Clayton Valley, Nevada and release of these funds allows expanded testing using Esmeralda’s resources.
Robert Mintak, Pure Energy CEO, commented, “We are delighted with the positive announcement from the DOE to release the remaining funding. The addition of Nitto Innovations Inc. will help unlock the potential commercialization opportunities that may exist for this technology.”
Source: Company release via Stockhouse
