UH professor develops process to extract lithium from shale oil wastewater

As a growing number of electric vehicles hit the road, the challenge of building all those batteries is dependent on resources from far-flung parts of the world.

HOUSTON - As a growing number of electric vehicles hit the road, the challenge of building all those batteries is dependent on resources from far-flung parts of the world.

The essential component of rechargeable batteries, from cars to phones, is lithium. Much of the metal comes from South America and Australia, while China dominates the worldwide supply chain for lithium-ion batteries. Now, a University of Houston researcher is at the forefront of finding some of those supplies from an unlikely source.

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UH professor Kyung Jae Lee is a petroleum engineer who has discovered there's a curious connection between the nation's fracking boom, which helped lead the way to the nation's energy independence, and the growing fascination with electric vehicles.

"I believe that it will be a game-changer," she said.

Shale-oil is released by injecting fluid into the ground, to break up the rock and release trapped oil. The wastewater, known as shale brine, is typically disposed of, treated, or reused.

Professor Lee wanted to use her petroleum expertise, to look to the future.

"There is a part that only petroleum engineers can do for the clean energy transition, so I came up with the idea of processing lithium from the shale brines," she said.

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It involves a lot of science, but in test production, in Pennsylvania's shale fields, Lee and an industrial partner are treating and extracting lithium from tens of thousands of barrels of shale brine, daily.

Expectations are that the process could yield 4,200 tons of the vital metal, each year; more than double current U.S. needs, as the fossil-fuel industry could help power a transition to renewable energy.

"It's quite ironic," Professor Lee said, "But it's really promising for this country."

While there's still a challenge in enhancing the grid, enough, to charge all those batteries, the venture could be an important step in finding the raw resources to build them.

Dr. Lee says there's a plan to expand the project, to see if there's lithium that can be extracted from other shale plays, like the vast ones we have here in Texas.