-May 16,2020-
California’s vast lithium deposits – as much as one third of the world’s current lithium demand according to some industry estimates – are also seen as a way to propel the state’s green economy.
Lithium recovery projects awarded in May 2020 are designed to help reduce costs and environmental impact. They include:
• $6 million to BHER Minerals, LLC for a demonstration project at an existing geothermal power facility in Calipatria that can cost-effectively process at least 100 gallons of geothermal brine per minute to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate.
• $1.8 million to Palo Alto-based Materials Research LLC for a pilot-scale demonstration project that uses a newly developed sorbent material to extract lithium from brine and a separate process for the direct formation of high-purity lithium carbonate, which has additional economic value in industry and medicine.
In recent years the global demand for lithium has increased significantly as clean energy resources rapidly replace fossil fuels in the transportation, building, and energy sectors.
California’s vast lithium deposits – as much as one third of the world’s current lithium demand according to some industry estimates – are also seen as a way to propel the state’s green economy. Deposits in the Imperial Valley alone could potentially produce up to $860 million annually in revenues, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Because of the huge impact lithium recovery could have on the state; the ecosystem of new business, investments, and jobs it could create; and the transformative effect it would have on clean energy, some are dubbing the emerging industry as “Silicon Valley 2.0” or “Lithium Valley.”
For more information about lithium recovery efforts in California and beyond, click here to view presentations and an archived recording of the California’s Lithium Recovery Initiative Symposium held February 12, 2020.
Good time to fill that propane tank
Rural folks who depend on Propane for heat and cooking are getting a bargain right now with the wholesale price for the fuel down to 30 cents from $1 per gallon in 2019.