US Department of Energy Commits $4 million to Geothermal Mining Projects

April 4, 2015 | Tags: Mining, Technology Transfer, Alison Thompson

Tyler Hamilton, editor for Corporate Knights, asks "Where is Canada?"

“We are delighted that Star Minerals received DOE support for their innovation, but what can the Canadian, provincial and territorial governments do to create these opportunities at home with our own world class resources?”    - Alison Thompson, CanGEA chair

This article outlines the potential for a mutually beneficial relationship between the geothermal and mining industries, where rare earth elements can be extracted from geothermal brines. One example is Simbol, a California-based company that has partnered with geothermal companies to extract lithium, maganese and zinc compounds from geothermal fluids after heat has been extracted. Lithium compounds can go on to be used to produce lithium ion batteries.

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has recently invested more than $4 million to nine geothermal projects planning to recover heat and minerals from geothermal brines. A Canadian company, Star Minerals, is a partner in one of these projects. 

Image from Simbol Materials.

You can read the full article by clicking here.