Engineers at the University of Connecticut are working on developing a more sustainable method to extract the critical mineral lithium from domestic geothermal brine.

Leading the project, Assistant Professor Burcu Beykal from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UConn stated: "Our research aims to use chemical precipitation to develop the first end-to-end digital twin for large-scale sustainable lithium production from geothermal brine." According to a study in Resources, Conservation and Recycling, the process incorporates an on-site recovery technique that reduces nearly 50% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Lithium, a key component in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and consumer electronics, is experiencing growing demand. Beykal added: "Without environmentally sustainable and economically viable solutions, we will soon reach a tipping point where demand far exceeds lithium supply." Most of the world's lithium resources are mined in only a few locations, posing supply chain risks. The team's work focuses on utilizing mineral-rich geothermal brines from areas like California's Salton Sea to develop viable domestic alternatives.

These hot saline solutions from underground are pumped to the surface to drive turbines for power generation. The researchers' method adds a second step to extract valuable minerals from the same water.

The team has expanded its scope to simulate the entire U.S. supply chain. Graduate student Hasan Nikkhah developed mathematical models to determine optimal locations for new mining, battery manufacturing, and EV production facilities. Nikkhah explained: "We developed mathematical models to design and optimize the supply chain, aiming to reduce total costs and decrease reliance on imports, particularly considering the high transportation costs for heavy components like batteries and EVs."

The team's strategy is to create an "end-to-end digital twin"—a digital model of the large-scale production process. This model integrates techno-economic assessment and life cycle analysis to evaluate the economic viability and environmental impact of the new method. This approach could replace many current methods of extracting lithium from hard rock ores and brines, which are often water- and energy-intensive.

A 2023 report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) indicates that global lithium resources are approximately 98 million metric tons, but currently recoverable lithium resources are only 26 million metric tons.

Beykal's team includes collaborators from the University of Liège and KU Leuven, and they are also expanding computational models to evaluate other unconventional sources, such as seawater, clays, and recycled batteries.

Nikkhah concluded: "Lithium is not only a key ingredient for clean energy but also a strategic resource related to national security and economic resilience. A domestic lithium supply chain could create over 100,000 direct jobs in the United States." Successful implementation of this research could lead to the establishment of domestic infrastructure, making geothermal power production and mineral extraction a single integrated operation.