ERAMET-ESG has been chosen as one of the six exceptional nominees of the Ruggero Bertani European Geothermal Innovation Awards 2021 with “EuGeLi”.
This is the first world pilot project that demonstrates the technical feasibility of direct extraction of lithium from geothermal brines under pressure and at high temperature. The study has been conducted at the Rittershoffen geothermal heat plant, in the the French/German Upper Rhine Graben. This region is an important reservoir of lithium-rich brines and hosts several geothermal plants operated by Electricité de Strasbourg.
The EuGeLi project gathers 9 partners to study the economic and technical feasibility of electricity and lithium co-production in one single geothermal site over 3 years. This received a strong European support with a grant of 3.4 million € (EIT Raw Materials).
The analysis showed that this lithium production from geothermal brine generates almost zero carbon emission, making the process exceptionally clean. On top of this, the total carbon footprint of the Lithium batteries industry will be reduced thanks to the fact that lithium would be produced in Europe. With an estimated production of 3,000 tons of lithium carbonate in France, the project would save between 380 and 1,150 tons of CO2 emission only from shipping.
The winner of this year edition will be announced in Spring 2021.
Discover the six finalists of the Ruggero Bertani European Geothermal Innovation Award 2021.
Stay tuned to know more!
BE SOCIAL & SHARE