Newly published research by a University of Pittsburgh doctorate student estimates that up to 40% of the lithium needed in the U.S. could be extracted from wastewater created by unconventional drilling operations in Pennsylvania.
Most batteries used in technology — like smartwatches and electric cars — are made with lithium, which travels across the world before getting to manufacturers. Much of today’s lithium is extracted from brine ponds in Chile, before being shipped to China for processing.
University of Pittsburgh student Justin Mackey and group of researchers used compliance data from fracking companies and estimate that lithium from wastewater produced by Marcellus shale gas wells could supply 30-40% of the country’s demand for the alkali metal.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists lithium as a critical element. As part of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, raw materials like lithium that are used in electric vehicle batteries must be sourced domestically by 2030.
Researchers in the lab can extract lithium from water with more than 90% efficiency said Mackey, a researcher at the National Energy Technology Laboratory and PhD student in the lab of Daniel Bain, associate professor of geology and environmental sciences in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.
“This is a waste stream, and we’re looking at a beneficial use of that waste,” Mackey said.
The research group published their findings earlier this month in the journal Scientific Reports.
Fracking companies are required to submit wastewater analysis to state environmental officials, and lithium is one of the things they must track.
Finding lithium in the wastewater in 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,” Mackey said. We just didn’t know how much was in there.”
The next step toward making use of the 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,” Mackey said. “Right now, it’s just minimally treated and reinjected.”
But, he said, it has the potential to provide a lot of value.
“(Water) has been dissolving rocks for hundreds of millions of years — essentially, the water has been mining the subsurface,” he said.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.