Staff Writer | May 29, 2024
Fracking wastewater. (Image by Faces of Fracking, Flickr.)
A new analysis using compliance data from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection suggests that if it could be extracted with complete efficiency, lithium from the wastewater of Marcellus shale gas wells in Pennsylvania could supply up to 40% of the United States demand.
Finding lithium in the wastewater in the Marcellus shale wasn’t a surprise: Researchers had analyzed the water recycled in hydraulic fracking and knew that it picked up minerals and elements from the shale. “But there hadn’t been enough measurements to quantify the resource,” Justin Mackey, a researcher at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, said in a media statement. “We just didn’t know how much was in there.”
Thanks to Pennsylvania regulatory requirements, his team was able to figure it out.
Companies are mandated to submit analyses of wastewater used in each well pad and lithium is one of the substances they must report. “And that’s how we were able to conduct this regional analysis,” Mackie said.
Meeting 30% to 40% of the country’s lithium needs would bring the country much closer to the US Geological Survey’s requirements, which demand all lithium to be produced domestically by 2030.
There’s also lithium-rich wastewater outside of the state’s boundaries. “Pennsylvania has the most robust data source for Marcellus shale,” Mackey said. “But there’s lots of activity in West Virginia, too.”
The next step toward making use of this lithium is to understand the environmental impact of extracting it and to implement a pilot facility to develop extraction techniques.
“Wastewater from oil and gas is a burgeoning issue,” the scientist pointed out. “Right now, it’s just minimally treated and reinjected.”
However, in his view, wastewater has the potential to provide a lot of value. After all, “it’s been dissolving rocks for hundreds of millions of years — essentially, the water has been mining the subsurface.”
Arizona Lithium Initiates Production Drilling at Prairie Project in Saskatchewan
- 28-May-2024
- Journalist: Shiba Teramoto
Arizona Lithium Limited (ASX: AZL, AZLO, AZLOA, OTC: AZLAF), known as "Arizona Lithium" or "AZL", a company dedicated to sustainable development with a focus on two significant lithium projects in North America, namely the Big Sandy Lithium Project ("Big Sandy") and the Prairie Lithium Project ("Prairie"), announces the commencement of drilling at the Prairie Project in Saskatchewan, Canada. The drilling and completion operations will span Pad #1, Pad #2, and Pad #3 in the upcoming months. In June, production and disposal testing will kick off for the wells on Pad #1. The initial two wells on Pad #1 are being drilled vertically. Well #1 is slated to assess the Souris River and Duperow Formations, while Well #2 will target the Dawson Bay Formation and specific disposal sites within the Madison Group. Establishing both production and disposal wells is a critical milestone in advancing the Prairie Project Development, marking a significant stride towards lithium commercial production.
Paul Lloyd, the Managing Director of Arizona Lithium, remarked, "I am excited to announce the commencement of our drilling program as planned. With the rig now operational on-site and the first well initiated, our focus is on drilling our lithium wells efficiently. Operating within a mature and well-established oil and gas province provides us with access to the necessary expertise and services to advance our project rapidly. These wells are being drilled to significant depths by a robust oil drilling rig. The execution of a drilling and completion program of this scale requires the collaboration of over 40 service providers and the contribution of hundreds of individuals. I extend my gratitude to all the vendors, their employees, and the local community for their support of our project. We eagerly anticipate providing shareholders with updates as the extensive drilling program progresses."
The Prairie Lithium Project by AZL is situated in Saskatchewan, Canada, within the Williston Basin and boasts a resource estimate of 6.3 million tonnes (MT) of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), comprising 4.5 MT LCE in the Indicated category and 1.8 MT LCE in the Inferred category. Being located in one of the world's foremost mining-friendly jurisdictions, these projects benefit from convenient access to critical infrastructure such as electricity, natural gas, freshwater, well-maintained highways, and railways. Additionally, the projects prioritize strong environmental stewardship, with Arizona Lithium striving to minimize freshwater usage, land footprint, and waste generation, aligning closely with the company's sustainable ethos in lithium development.
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