As companies across the energy spectrum continue to emphasize sustainability and a circular economy, Pennsylvania once again has the opportunity to leverage our natural resources and lead through innovation.
Not only is Pennsylvania the only state selected as a part of two hydrogen hub teams – a recognition of our readiness to lead a sustainable energy future – but we could also become a major part of the solution to the increasing domestic access to lithium.
This technology enables direct lithium extraction, which reduces production time to a matter of hours rather than years
In great demand globally, lithium is used in products indispensable to our lifestyle, like computers and iPhones, and in products critical to new energy technologies like electric vehicles and solar panels.
New research from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory shows that produced water from Marcellus Shale wells is teeming with the mineral. It could be a game changer not just in the Keystone State, but across the globe.
The world largely depends on lithium extracted in South America and processed in China. Traditional lithium production entails large evaporation ponds, which require significant acreage of land and can deplete local water resources. This method takes 12-18 months to produce battery-grade material.
Thanks to chemistry and scientific innovation, lithium produced in other countries via evaporation ponds is not the only answer to increasing global demand for lithium. Pennsylvania companies are pioneering technology to leverage the resources we have.
King of Prussia-based Purolite, an Ecolab company, is a global leader in ion exchange resin and adsorbent technology. It develops and manufactures small resin beads that are part of the process used in the most regulated industries in the world to separate, remove or recover specific elements like lithium. This technology enables direct lithium extraction, which reduces production time to a matter of hours rather than years and requires a fraction of the land and water that traditional evaporation ponds use. Direct lithium extraction technology could also significantly reduce emissions compared to traditional methods.
Research estimates that Pennsylvania could supply 38% to 40% of the current domestic demand for lithium. Not only can we help meet domestic demand, but we can also lessen our dependence on other countries for these essential products. Our homegrown natural resources like the Marcellus Shale have reduced our reliance on foreign energy while allowing our communities to prosper. And now, the discovery of a beneficial reuse for produced water from the Marcellus presents yet another transformational opportunity.
It’s this sort of innovation from industry that keeps Pennsylvania in the forefront of creating a more sustainable, circular, energy-efficient future. For instance, Covestro, a Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council member with North American headquarters in Pittsburgh, captures and uses carbon dioxide in raw materials used in everything from mattresses to sports flooring.
These types of innovation remain critical as energy demand continues to grow and how we use energy continues to evolve. The state needs to foster innovation, new technologies and a thriving marketplace – all three solid requirements in a sustainable and competitive energy landscape.
