Project duration: 1 January 2019 – 31 December 2021
Objective
Lithium is a strategic metal, especially for batteries manufacturing for electric vehicles, for which the worldwide demand is constantly increasing. EuGeLi (European Geothermal Lithium Brines) aims to provide Europe with lithium extracted from geothermal brines located at the French/German border.
The solution (technology)
An innovative lithium extraction process has been developed by ERAMET and IFPEN and is suitable to extract lithium from geothermal brines. It is made up of extraction columns filled with an adsorption material that captures only lithium from the brine, leaving the other elements out. These columns can be operated at high temperature and pressure and the material that has been tested presents high capacity and selectivity towards lithium. The idea of the project is to plug-in this extraction system directly to the outlet of the brine processing unit to extract lithium before reinjecting the water underground.
Partnership
- ERAMET IDeas, France (Lead Partner)
- BASF Netherlands B.V., Netherlands
- BASF SE, Germany
- Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières, BRGM (The French geological survey), France
- Chimie ParisTech, France
- EIfER Europäisches Institut für Energieforschung EDF-KIT EWIV, Germany
- Electricité de Strasbourg, France
- IFP Energies Nouvelles – IFPEN, France
- Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek NV (VITO), Belgium
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium