Dear GSSPE members,
we would like to invite you to our next webinar on Lithium extraction from hydrothermal fluids.
The German Raw Materials Agency (DERA) predicts that global lithium demand will triple by 2030, driven mainly by its use in rechargeable batteries, particularly in e-mobility. As Germany has high demand but no domestic lithium production until now, it ranks among the top global net importers.
The Li+Fluids project is coordinated by the BGR (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe) and aims to assess the potential for extracting lithium from hydrothermal fluids in Germany, supporting the development of a raw materials strategy and guiding geothermal site planning for combined heat and raw material production. The focus is on the North German Basin, particularly the Horstberg research well, where initial small-scale lithium extraction experiments are conducted.
The project evaluates the applicability and sustainability of extraction methods, with the goal of a zero-emission process using the Horstberg well as a test site. Lab experiments and modeling studies explore the "geological sustainability" of lithium extraction, considering the potential for re-enrichment of depleted fluids through fluid-rock interactions during geothermal operations.
A comprehensive sustainability assessment will compare lithium production at selected sites with established methods, considering factors like CO2 equivalents, economic viability, and geological conditions to evaluate these sites as domestic lithium sources.
📅 19 September 2024
🕑 16:00 CEST
Microsoft Teams Meeting
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 247 435 930 463
Passcode: sEQ7GC
About the Speaker
Dr. André Stechern is a geoscientist with more than 15 year research and industry experience. He earned his PhD on Mineralogy at the Leibnitz University in Hannover, and had various research visits around the world.
Since 2019 he is working at the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), and specializes in the geochemical aspects of water-rock interactions, with focus on extraction of lithium from deep geothermal reservoirs.