Lithium is used in the development of common technological devices, including the batteries in smartphones and laptops and has been listed as a critical mineral by the United States Geological Survey. These products tend to be manufactured from places like China and Chile, so the federal government wants all lithium used in the US be produced domestically by 2030.
In a recent study, researchers found that over a third of the lithium used nationally could be sourced from the wastewater from Marcellus Shale gas wells. Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection was used to conduct the study.
The discovery made by Justin Mackey, a research scientist and PhD student, could lead to Pennsylvania being at the forefront of domestic lithium production, as well as bringing an economic boom to the area.
While there are existing lithium mining operations in the United States, the source found in Pennsylvania differs from the rest. Mackey explains it as being “a waste stream and we’re looking at beneficial use of that waste.” The wastewater studied has “been dissolving rocks for hundreds of millions of years – essentially, the water has been mining the subsurface.”
Pennsylvania providing 30 to 40 percent of the country’s lithium needs would advance the domestic production of lithium towards the 2030 requirements. As noted by Mackey, there is additional lithium activity in bordering states such as West Virginia as well.
The results from the study have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
