IChemE - Lithium Extraction from Geothermal Brines

As the world moves to a more sustainable approach, the global demand for critical minerals to deliver such developments has become ever more important. At present 80% of lithium hydroxide is produced by China, with none being produced domestically. This lack of domestic production can have a significant impact upon a number of UK industries, especially the automotive one, which presently supports approximately 800,000 positions. Cornwall potentially hosts the largest deposit of lithium in Europe, which means that there is the opportunity to support development of a new industry in a deprived area of the UK.

This presentation will provide an overview of exploration and pilot scale extraction for lithium in Cornwall from geothermal brines, discussing the opportunities and issues associated with Direct Lithium Extraction.

This presentation will be of interest to those interested in mineral extraction from geothermal brines, resource management, water treatment, Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) and pilot plants.