LITHIUM POTENTIAL IN OIL-FIELD BRINES EVALUATED USING THE USGS NATIONAL PRODUCED WATERS GEOCHEMICAL DATABASE VERSION 3.0

Lithium demand is expected to increase exponentially over the coming decades as the world transitions to alternative energy sources that rely on lithium-based batteries. The U.S. has significant reserves of traditional lithium deposits, but currently minimal production. One known source of lithium is deep basin brine found in oil and gas reservoirs. This brine is traditionally considered waste associated with petroleum recovery and is commonly disposed of by re-injection. Compared to developing new hard rock lithium mines, recovering lithium from oil-field brine waste in regions that have already been developed by the petroleum industry can reduce costs and environmental impacts.

The Smackover Formation in southern Arkansas has the highest known concentrations of lithium in oil-field brines - up to 1700 mg/L - yet there are multiple other regions in the U.S. with high lithium extraction potential. We use the updated U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database v3.0 to highlight brine targets for lithium recovery, including those in the Williston, Appalachian, and Gulf Coast Basins. In addition, we contrast the origin of high lithium brines in “unconventional” reservoirs (e.g., shales) with those in “conventional” petroleum reservoirs (e.g., carbonates and sandstones) and show that many of the promising targets are from older, conventional plays.