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New geothermal minerals extraction nanotechnology JV plans pilot plant in U.S.

New geothermal minerals extraction nanotechnology JV plans pilot plant in U.S. Image not directly related to story - Hudson Ranch I geothermal power plant, 2012, Salton Sea, California/ U.S. (source: EnergySource)
Alexander Richter 26 Jan 2017

A new joint venture company called Geolithic Corp has been formed for geothermal minerals extraction, with the partners 6th Wave and TriLateral seeking to develop a pilot project at one more more geothermal plants in the U.S.

In a release yesterday, 6th Wave Innovations Corp. and TriLateral Energy announce the formation of a joint venture called Geolithic Corp., a Geothermal Minerals Extraction Nanotechnology Joint Venture.

6th Wave Innovations Corp. (a nanotechnology company that develops proprietary molecularly imprinted polymers for minerals extraction in mining applications) has teamed up with TriLateral Energy, LLC, (an independent energy developer with extensive geothermal operations and construction experience) to form Geolithic Corp., a joint venture for the extraction of lithium and other minerals from geothermal brine.

6th Wave has already commenced laboratory testing of the proprietary lithium extraction technology, which could significantly reduce the cost of producing lithium and other minerals compared to traditional mining and other mineral extraction techniques. Such minerals are naturally present in the brine utilized by many existing geothermal power plants in the U.S. and worldwide.

Geolithic Corp. plans to construct a pilot project extraction plant at one or more U.S. geothermal energy facilities, with a design that will seamlessly integrate with the facility’s existing brine handling facilities to extract the lithium and other minerals prior to reinjection of the brine into the geothermal reservoir.

Under the Joint Venture agreement, 6th Wave will retain all rights to its proprietary molecularly imprinted polymer nanotechnology but will provide an exclusive license to Geolithic Corp. for geothermal minerals extraction.

Dr. Jonathan Gluckman, CEO of 6th Wave said “We are pleased at the opportunity to work closely with Trilateral Energy, which has decades of geothermal power plant construction and operations experience and extensive contacts in the industry. I am confident this joint venture will establish proof of concept with a pilot lithium extraction plant in the United States.”

Don O’Shei, CEO of TriLateral Energy, stated “I was an early investor in 6th Wave and believe that the application of this groundbreaking extraction technology to geothermal brine has the potential to significantly lower lithium and other mineral production costs. TriLateral will manage the commercial aspects of the joint venture and 6th Wave will manage the technical aspects as we move forward to combine our skill sets to construct the first pilot plant at an existing geothermal facility.”

For more information about 6th Wave Innovations Corp., visit www.6wic.com and for more information about TriLateral Energy, LLC,
visit www.trilateralpacific.com.

Source: Company release by email

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Alexander Richter