It seems inevitable lithium batteries will be with us for quite a while, given the huge investment. However, North America’s reliance on imported lithium metal could be set to end. Somewhat incredibly, lithium mining in Alberta has found a soulmate in the oil industry there. Extracting lithium in Alberta is off to a head start by using the existing oil-field infrastructure.
Rich Potential for Extracting Lithium from Leduc Formation
Canada’s oil boom began when they tapped the Leduc formation of highly porous fossil reefs containing rich reservoirs of oil and gas. The resource also has rich lithium deposits, although oil barons passed them over in the scramble for black gold.
There are 3.6 million tons of lithium beneath the surface of Canada waiting to be tapped. It’s a strange marriage of two odd bedfellows. That’s because bulk lithium extraction teamed with renewable energy will eventually close the oil and gas industry. It has to. This not about keeping coal and oil alive, it is about reversing global warming.
Facts About Saltwater Brine Drilling You May Not Know
Filtering Lithium Out of Brine at The Molecular Level
Amanda Hall, president of Summit Nanotech told CBC News on January 13, 2020 the lithium is in saltwater brine. This is a popular oil drilling liquid that speeds penetration and reduces friction on drilling equipment.
Over the decades, this brine water has filtered into the highly porous rock and absorbed lithium. Summit Nanotech is using nanotechnology for extracting the metal from the liquid at the molecular or atomic level. They will be running tests towards the end of 2020, and plan to provide the valuable raw material to land owners for a fee.
The cost justification for this project still has to pass thorough testing. However lithium extraction seems to have a good future in Alberta. And it will be great to get some value from those brine spills.
Related
Lithium for Batteries Has Many Other Uses Too
Californian Lithium Falls into Rio Tinto’s Arms
Preview Image: Leduc No. 1 Oil Well, Alberta, 1947
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