On July 31, Lycoming County-based Eureka Resources announced it successfully extracted 97% pure lithium carbonate from oil and gas wastewater with up to a 90% recovery rate.

Lithium carbonate is a precursor to compounds used in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and other purposes.

At the same time, Eureka said it would take up to two years to expand its three facilities-- two in Williamsport and one near Towanda-- to include the extraction of lithium carbonate.

The project was accomplished in partnership with SEP Salt & Evaporation Plants Ltd.

The company said this accomplishment was significant because it unlocks a domestic source of lithium for the U.S. market, reducing reliance on foreign sources of lithium from China and South America.

Eureka's patented, closed loop process involves a combination of physical and chemical treatment, concentration, and crystallization using existing industrial equipment.

This process has been in operation for over ten years extracting commercial-grade sodium chloride and calcium chloride as well as clean water from oil and gas drilling and fracking wastewater.

"We are thrilled to announce this advancement in our mineral extraction capabilities," said Eureka Resources CEO Dan Ertel. "Our patented process for extracting lithium from brine wastes and other industrial wastewaters is not only environmentally friendly, but also provides a reliable domestic source of lithium for the U.S. market. This is a major step forward in our mission to create sustainable, domestic solutions for critical mineral recovery."

"Sending the first lithium carbonate crystals produced from Eureka’s concentrated brine filled us with great satisfaction. It is a validation of SEP’s vast experience in the salt and lithium crystallization area and of its laboratory testing capabilities assisting development of novel recovery processes for unconventional brine sources," said Jens-Holger Schmidt, CEO of SEP.

Click Here for the complete announcement.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- DEP Investigates Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Leak As Possible Source Of Village Of Reno Water Supply Contamination In Venango County; Customers Under Do Not Consume Advisory For 2 Weeks+  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 29 to August 4; More Abandoned, Leaking Wells, Reno Water Supply Contamination; Rager Mtn. Natural Gas Storage Area Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - August 5  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 75 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 5 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week:

-- TribLive: Olympus Energy Submits Application To DEP For 5th Shale Gas Well Pad In Upper Burrell Twp

-- PUC: Columbia Gas To Pay $990,000 Penalty In Revised Settlement Involving Home Explosion In Washington County

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: PUC Approves $990,000 Penalty Settlement With Columbia Gas Over 2019 House Explosion In Washington County

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Negotiating Community Benefits, Like Those With Shell Petrochemical Plant Penalty Fund In Beaver County, Takes A Village; So Does Mitigating Harm

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Equitrans Gets FERC Approval For New Ohio Valley Connector Expansion Pipeline Project To Gulf Coast And Midwest

-- The Center Square: 14 State Attorneys General [Including PA] Want Action On ‘Plastic Pollution Crisis’

Related Articles This Week:

-- New Penn State Study: Brine Water Pumped From Played-Out Conventional Oil & Gas Wells And Used As Dust Suppressants, Winter Road Treatments Exceed Environmental, Health Standards, Just Like Conventional Oil & Gas Brine Water  [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Take A Deep Breath! Now Think What You Just Inhaled. If You Live Along A Dirt Road You Could Be Inhaling Oil & Gas Wastewater - By Siri Lawson, Warren County   [PaEN]

-- DEP Publishes Final Chapter 105 Environmental Assessment Alternatives Analysis Technical Guidance  [PaEN]

-- DEP Sets Sept. 19 Meeting/Hearing On Air Permit For Expansion Of Marcus Hook Terminal’s Ethane Chilling Capacity In Delaware County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Section 401 Water Quality Certification For Equitrans To Replace Abandoned Natural Gas Storage Wells In Greene County Due To Coal Mining  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project: Shale Gas Development And Cancer Fact Sheet

-- Eureka Resources Extracted 97% Pure Lithium Carbonate Used In Making Lithium-ion Batteries From Oil & Gas Wastewater [PaEN]

-- PA Attorney General Henry Joins Coalition Calling For Stronger Federal Strategy To Fight Plastic Pollution Crisis  [PaEN]

[Posted: July 31, 2023]

8/7/2023