Mineral Extraction:

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Geothermal Resources Council Reno, NevadaOctober
5-8, 2008
Mineral Extraction Results from International
Conferences
R. Gordon Bloomquist, Ph.D. Washington State
University Energy Program, Retired Konstantin O.
Povarov, Ph.D. Association Geothermal Energy
Society, Russian Federation
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• The first International Mineral Extraction from
  Geothermal Brines Conference and Road Mapping
  Session was convened in Petropavalovsk,
  Kamchatka, Russia
• in 2005.

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Mutnovskaya Geothermal Power Plant 50 MW,
Kamchatka
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Sponsors included International Geothermal
Association Association of Geothermal Energy
Society of Russia World Bank / Global
Environmental Facility Kamchatka Scientific
Center / Russian Academy of Science United
States Department of Energy
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• But why a conference and road mapping workshop
  devoted to mineral extraction??
• 1. To discuss the state of mineral extraction
  research and development

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2. To determine issues critical to
commercializing mineral extraction as an
economically valuable component of the geothermal
industry.
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3. To help coordinate the exchange of research
results and provide an opportunity for
researchers to compare recent research activities
and results and hopefully find areas for
collaboration.A pdf abstract can be found
atwww.gesa.ru/eng/seminars.asp.
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Based on the success of the first Mineral
Extraction Conference and Workshop, a
second was convened at the University of
Arizona in the fall of 2006. Sponsors
included World Bank / Global Environmental
Facility International Geothermal
Association United States Department of Energy
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The Russian Geothermal Society has now assembled
all of the papers and they are now available on
the web at www.geotherm.ru/pub/. Included are
papers on Silica scaling and
treatment Extraction of minerals such as
Lithium, Manganese, Zinc and Rare
Earths Economics, etc.
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Based on the two Road Mapping workshops, the
following issues were prioritized into the
following six focus areas 1. Silica 2.
Technology Developments 3. Market 4. Technology
Transfer 5. Financing 6. Environment
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But why should you be interested in Mineral
Extraction??
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In order for enhance evaporative cooling to be
employed a clean source of water is
required. Mammoth Pacific operators are testing
reverse osmosis as a way to remove silica so
that the geothermal brine can be used for this
cooling system.
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• Silica
• Is the cause of operation and maintenance
  problems
• 2. Restricts energy extraction and thus lowers
  economic output per unit of fluid extracted

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• Silica (Continued)
• Prevents the use of geothermal fluids for use in
  cooling binary plants
• 4. Interferes with the extraction of other
  economically valuable minerals

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Studies by Brookhaven National Laboratory
estimate that removal of silica would have an
economic benefit equivalent to reducing the cost
of power by approximately 1.1 cents per kWh.
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY
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Economic benefits are derived from the sale of
silica produced coupled with a reduction in
operation and maintenance costs.
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The world-wide demand for silica is over 3
million kilograms of commercial grade silica per
day.
Powdered silica
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Specific uses include Drying and anti-caking
agents in human and animal
food. Abrasives in sandpaper and for use
in silicon wafer-polishing. Filler in
plastics, paper, paint and rubber tires. Fiber
optics and catalyst manufacture. Feed
stock for making semiconductor silicon,
fine chemicals, and chromatographic
silica.
Semiconductor chip
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Silica prices vary from 1.00/kilogram for use in
tires and pesticides, 2.00 - 4.00/kilogram for
use in paints and to as high as 7.00/gram
when used in high-pressure liquid
chromatography. Prices increased up to 20 in
July 2008.
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Benefits calculated by Brookhaven do not include
increased power produced per unit of fluid
produced or the value of wet cooling for binary
plants.
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Other potential economic benefits come from the
extraction and and sale of Lithium Mangane
se Zinc Cesium Rubidium Rare
Earths Precious Metals
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Lithium Used in batteries and increasingly in
batteries for hybrid cars. 350 million-per-year
market. Geothermal could meet the world demand.
Lithium battery
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Manganese Electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD)
is used in dry cell batteries. 50 MWe geothermal
plant in Salton Sea field could generate 48
million dollars. The 2008 value of Manganese
was 3,975 / ton.
Dry cell batteries
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Zinc First commercial plant was estimated to
have potential for year revenue of 40
million. Zincs 2008 price was
78.65/kilogram. Special High Grade (SHG) Zinc
was going for 1,646.50 per ton. Prices as of
October 2, 2008.
Current pennies are 2.5 copper and 97.5 zinc.
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Cesium Some applications High-density
competent in drilling mud Television and
night vision equipment Solar cells Removal
of sulfur from crude oil Medical and
cancer applications Specialty glass and
fiber optics
Solar cell
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Cesium The market equals 25,000 kilograms per
year. The 2006 price for 99.98 Cesium was 52
per metric ton.
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Rubidium A number of important applications
Used in specialty glasses used in fiber
optic telecommunication systems Ultra
centrifugal separation of nuclear acids and
viruses Night vision devices Photoelectric
cells Cancer treatments Atomic clocks
Night vision goggles
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Rubidium The market equals 1 to 2 metric tons
per year. The 2006 price for 99.98 Rubidium
was as high as 79.90 per gram when purchased in
small lots.
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Rare Earths These elements and metals are a
collection of seventeen chemical elements
Scandium Yttrium And the fifteen
lanthanoids (atomic numbers 57 to 71).
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Rare earth elements are incorporated into many
modern technological devices, including Superc
onductors Miniaturized magnets Electronic
polishers Refining catalysts Hybrid car
components
Superconductor
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Rare earth ions are used as the active ions in
luminescent materials used in optoelectronics
applications, most notably the NdYAG laser.
Phosphors with rare earth dopants are also
widely used in cathode ray tube technology
such as television sets. From Wikipedia
NdYAG (Ytterium) laser
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Precious metals, such as gold, silver, platinum,
and palladium In todays volatile economic
market, these metals are seeing record
prices Gold 831.90 / ounce Silver
10.79 / ounce Platinum 965.00 /
ounce Palladium 193.00 / ounce Prices as
of October 2, 2008
Gold jewelry and silver dollar
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Not only are these metals often available in
significant quantities in geothermal brine, they
provide a new and important source of such
mineral produced through solution mining in an
environmentally responsible manner.
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Mineral extraction really does deserve renewed
and focused attention, but only if you are
interested in A reduction in operation and
maintenance costs Increased power
production per unit of fluid produced
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A source of economically salable by
products and A greater opportunity for water
cooling of binary plants.
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Thank You. The End