@krugerrandsI am impressed with the good summary on Direct Lithium Extraction, including the integrated references (Post #: 57326370).
My first clue to lithium extraction is a development at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the patented process Dr. Jens Grimmer is involved in.
https://geothermics.agw.kit.edu/team_219.phphttps://www.geo-t.de/de/unternehmen/https://v-er.eu/team-zero-carbon/"Lithium from the Upper Rhine" - KIT team of scientists patents process for extraction from thermal water - Campus Report on 07/28/2020
https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000122194Quote: "Lithium is a metal the world is hungry for. Modern high-performance batteries will not work without lithium, neither in a cell phone nor in an electric car. Experts expect demand to increase by 20% a year. The metal so sought after is currently mainly imported from Australia or South America. But there is also lithium in Germany. The thermal water, which is found in the Upper Rhine Trench, for example, contains large amounts of the precious material. A young team of scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology now had a brilliant idea how to raise this treasure in a minimally invasive manner, without harming the environment."
Selected Audio transcription: "A young team of scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has now come up with a brilliant idea of how to lift this treasure, minimally invasively, without harming the environment. In Germany, there are a large number of power plants that use geothermal energy for environmentally friendly energy production..."
"First you have to consider that thermal waters contain quite a lot of salts, have quite a lot of other things, we have to delineate lithium quite selectively."
"The many salts in thermal water can clog the filter system very quickly."
"When you think of filters, you think of coffee filters, for example, with very small pores. In this case, if you don't use the right process, don't use the right chemicals, directly the pipes get clogged...."
"The process is now patented."
"One problem is the low acceptance of geothermal energy in this country. Many fear earthquakes that could be triggered by deep drilling. It is well known that geothermal activities, i.e. drilling and the pumping and reinjection of water, cause so-called microquakes. These are usually well below the level that can be felt. We have also, of course, made a steep learning curve in geothermal over the last 15 years. We know that with the injection pressures and rates, we can also control and manage the whole thing a little bit. What you also have to know is that the whole thing is monitored by the authorities. Every geothermal power plant has a monitoring system where ground movements are documented. There's a traffic light system; if there are certain vibrations or movements, you have to curtail production and reinjection."
Unfortunately, typing errors occur again and again. Who can write blindly on a keyboard and check the text input in the monitor at the same time. I am not one of them and rarely take the time to proofread texts. Nevertheless, one should try to avoid such mistakes.
(20min delay)