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Mining precious metals a new driver for geothermal?

Mining precious metals a new driver for geothermal? Windmill and tank in Pershing County, Nevada (source: flickr/ slgwv, creative commons)
Francisco Rojas 17 Feb 2015

Pure Energy Minerals Ltd and Orocobre Ltd. use geothermal brine to extract lithium and other precious materials for industry. Can they act as catalysts for geothermal development?

In an editorial article in Stockhouse, they showcase Pure Energy Minerals Ltd. a North American lithium producer that is growing considerably due to the rise in demand of this material for electronics and for batteries and Orocobre Ltd., which is “building a large scale brine-based project in Argentina with backing from Toyota Tsusho Corp., a member of the Japan-based Toyota Group.”

Both of these companies are predicting a steady growth in the demand and consumption of lithium and other precious metals that can be harnessed from geothermal brines, naturally occurring in certain areas of the world, in this case, Nevada and Argentina.

The article points out that “Conventional lithium extraction techniques are expensive, harmful, and do not optimize the resource (…) Last month, Pure Energy said it has engaged Tenova Bateman Technologies, a developer of solvent extraction technology that efficiently extracts lithium from brine and various waste streams. Pure Energy said the LiSX (TM) process allows for the reinjection of brine back into the ground after the lithium is extracted, adding that the technology has been successfully tested in Israel”

It is interesting to see that there are more uses for byproducts of geothermal areas, and with the right technology and the proper investment, new geothermal power plants could be spun off thanks to the rise in demand of precious materials and lithium.

To read the full story, please follow the link.

Source: Stockhouse