GTO Selects National Labs to Receive More Than $6M for Critical Materials Research
The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has selected four U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories to receive more than $6 million for research and development that can directly aid in advancing and developing U.S. critical material supply chains. Critical materials such as minerals and rare earth elements are important for products including computers, smartphones, household appliances, and clean energy technologies like batteries and electric vehicles. The United States currently lacks the ability to access and process many of these materials, making the country increasingly dependent on foreign sources. Geothermal brines, which are a byproduct of geothermal electricity generation, often have high concentrations of minerals like lithium and zinc.
The seven selected national laboratory projects will characterize lithium and critical materials in areas beyond California’s Salton Sea region, improve understanding of how to better break down and release minerals from rocks in geothermal reservoirs, and advance drilling materials to better access geothermal resource areas where critical materials may be located. This work is crucial to help advance the U.S. critical materials supply chain and facilitate better engineering that can maximize critical minerals from geothermal resources. GTO is collaborating with DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Office (AMMTO) and Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), given joint interest in diversifying the domestic supply of critical materials from geothermal and oil and gas reservoirs throughout the United States.
The selected labs and projects are:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: (1) Salton Sea Characterization and Modeling of the Partitioning of Li and other Critical Minerals in the Deep Superhot Portions of the Salton Sea Geothermal Field Reservoir; (2) Lithium Resources in the Smackover Formation – Quantification – Origin – Natural and Engineered Lithium Cycle (LiRe – Smac)
Sandia National Laboratories: (1) Supercritical Drilling Material Analysis: Current Practices, Technological Gaps, and Recommendations; (2) Combined Analysis of Lithium Brines And Thermal Energy (CALiBrATE) Resources
Idaho National Laboratory: (1) Characterization of Li and Other Critical Materials of Smackover Formation, Louisiana; (2) Characterizing and Estimating Reserves of Li and Other Critical Minerals in Paradox Basin, Utah (with FECM)
Los Alamos National Laboratory: Lithium Geospatial Analysis and Resource Assessment in the Smackover Geothermal Fairway (LiGRAS) (with AMMTO)
These lab call selections augment DOE’s critical materials research portfolio, including 10 projects jointly selected by GTO and AMMTO to research lithium from geothermal brines and a 2023 report highlighting lithium resource potential in the Salton Sea region. Learn more about DOE lithium and critical materials research on GTO’s website and lithium storymap as well as the Critical Minerals and Materials Program web page.
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