Assessing rare earth element concentrations in geothermal and oil and gas produced waters: A potential domestic source of strategic mineral commodities (Final Report)

Quillinan, Scott; Nye, Charles; Engle, Mark A.; Bartos, Timothy T.; Neupane, Ghanashyam; Brant, Jonathan A.; Bagdonas, Davin A.; McLing, Travis; McLaughlin, J. Fred; Phillips, Erin H.; Hallberg, Laura L.; Shahabadi, Seyed Mahdi Seyed; Johnson, Marc A.; Thomas, H.H.; Mengers, Josh; Moore, Thomas R.; Blondes, Madalyn S.; Gallegos, Tanya J.; Rowan, Elisabeth L.; Doolan, Colin A.; Varonka, Mathew; Lacroix, Debbie; Bachman, Savannah; Coddington, Kipp; Xiong, Sitian; Swift, Mackensie

doi:10.2172/1509037

Cited by 9 publications

(28 citation statements)

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“…Since more data are available in the appendix than are currently in electronic format, these data could be extracted and compiled for future studies, particularly studies that included the evaluation of oil and gas produced waters as well as geothermal waters. Quillinan et al (2018) found measurable concentrations of REE in all analyzed samples and in some cases concentrations of REE were more than 1000 times the concentrations found in seawater. The study included a predictive mapping model (Chapter 6) that showed a within-basin correlation of REE concentrations in produced water, yielding a map identifying higher and lower value basins (Quillinan et al, 2018).…”

Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Quillinan et al (2018) found measurable concentrations of REE in all analyzed samples and in some cases concentrations of REE were more than 1000 times the concentrations found in seawater. The study included a predictive mapping model (Chapter 6) that showed a within-basin correlation of REE concentrations in produced water, yielding a map identifying higher and lower value basins (Quillinan et al, 2018). Both the geochemical evaluation (Chapter 3 and 4) and the predictive mapping exercise supported the conclusion that the geographical distribution of higher concentration REE-containing brines was "spatially-dependent" rather than correlated or predicted by geological parameters such as formation lithology, reservoir temperature, or salinity.…”

Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…The project final report was written by DOE GTO staff (US Department of Energy, 2017). Quillinan et al (2018) measured REE in 224 "geothermal produced water" samples and 101 corresponding rock samples as part of Phase II Project DE-EE-0007603. The samples analyzed were collected from major oil and gas producing basins including the Williston Basin, ND; Permian Basin, TX; Kevin Dome Area, MT; Appalachian Basin, OH-PA; and Wind River, Powder River, and Green River Basins, WY ( Figure 2).…”

Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data included brine or water chemistry results from Wyoming and Soda Geyser, Idaho and mineral analysis (rock) data from various locations were also available. A table of all the data collected during the study was included in the appendix of the final report (Quillinan et al, 2018).…”

Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The available data were examined in the context of REE recovery from geothermal power plant brines (Quillinan et al, 2018). The electronic data for Wyoming included REE results for samples from a variety of sources, including industrial impoundments.…”

Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Retrospective on Recent DOE-Funded Studies Concerning the Extraction of Rare Earth Elements & Lithium from Geothermal Brines (Final Report)

Stringfellow

Dobson

2020

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level (TRL) and showed promise, but direct comparison between technologies was not possible based on the available information. It is recommended that testing and reporting be standardized to the extent possible to facilitate comparisons between technologies. Two projects were directed at novel lithium extraction technology. Both projects investigated the use of inorganic sorbents, including manganese oxides. One study also examined the use of metalion imprinted polymers as selective ion-exchange resins for the separation of lithium and manganese from brines. Both approaches showed promise for the selective extraction of lithium from brines, including potentially geothermal brines. Results from these GTO studies indicated that selective REE and lithium extraction is possible, but interference from co-occurring solutes, such as calcium, magnesium, or heavy metals, will interfere with process efficiency and negatively impact process economics. Techno-economic analysis conducted as part of the resource and technology studies suggest extraction of REE from geothermal brines is unlikely to be economically viable, especially since non-geothermal produced waters frequently have higher REE concentrations. It is recommended that benchmarks for techno-economic analysis be established to the extent possible for future studies, to facilitate direct comparison of various technologies. Based on the collective results of this program, it appears that hybrid geothermal power would benefit more from recovery of lithium and other metals, rather than REE. It is recommended that future studies be conducted at a higher-TRL and that sorbents be tested against actual geothermal fluid samples. Prior higher-TRL efforts to extract metals from geothermal brines should be further evaluated for lessons learned.

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Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resource Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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