Hunt for lithium takes us to abandoned oil wells

India must think big about lithium extraction and turn to its national oil companies. Joint collaborations with companies specialising in this space are the way forward

Lithium, the metallic element used in the manufacture of batteries for electrical vehicles (EVs), is a hot commodity these days. Demand for this has skyrocketed in recent years and investors are optimistic about companies that produce and refine lithium.

It is estimated that India will have 10 million EVs by 2030, which could see investments to the tune of Rs ~20 lakh-crore in this sector. While much of the focus is on EVs, it’s lithium — the lifeline in EV batteries — which should catch our interest. How much do we know about this crucial component?

Earlier this year the Geological Survey of India discovered a deposit of 5.9 metric million tonnes of high-quality lithium reserves in the Salal-Haimana area of Rasai district, in Jammu and Kashmir. This is good news for India which is currently a 100 per cent importer. The challenge will be to extract it without disturbing the ecologically sensitive region.

Extracting woes

As is the case with every metal that is extracted for industrial purposes, two main components determine its importance: the availability of the metal, and the cost of refining it for industrial purposes.

About 80 per cent of the lithium mines are present in salar brines, and the remaining 20 per cent in mineral ores. While mineral ore deposits are often a richer source of lithium, mining and extracting them makes the process twice as costly as salar brine recovery.

A majority of today’s processed lithium is extracted from liquid brine reserves that are located beneath salt flats known as salars. Most of these salars are in southwestern South America (Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia) and in China as well. Lithium brine recovery is a straightforward but lengthy process that can take anywhere from several months to a few years to complete.

Mineral ore extractions are expensive and not eco-friendly, and extracting lithium from salars is time-consuming. Relying on these two methods will not meet the global lithium demand. This has given rise to other means which are not widespread, but soon catching pace. They include: hectorite clay extraction, seawater, recycled brines from geothermal energy plants, and retrieval from abandoned oil field brines. As technologies advance and more is learned about the potential value of geothermal brines and oil well brines, the resources are gaining attention. Energy and mining companies, as well as governments are funding research initiatives to find the best methods to extract lithium from it.

India could turn its focus to lithium production from geothermal and abandoned oil well brines. There are seven category-1 petroliferous basins in India — Krishna-Godavari, Mumbai Offshore, Assam-Shelf, Rajasthan, Cauvery, Assam-Arakan Fold Belt, and Cambay. According to a Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas 2020 report, the total number of oil wells since the inception of the ministry is 20,562, and the abandoned wells stand at 13,348. These abandoned wells can be used for the extraction of lithium.

Abandoned riches

Based on geological and geophysical data wells are identified and scanned. If it is void, or contains water instead of oil, it is considered an abandoned well. Even wells that run out of oil are abandoned. Earlier, water-bearing wells were not valuable to oil companies; rather they were a headache. Now, with new technology, water-bearing wells could become valuable sources of lithium. If one litre of saline water has 0.3 gm to 7 gm of lithium, it is considered economically viable for extraction.

Many startups are developing methods to extract lithium directly from saline water. Ion imprinted membrane, ion sieve membrane, membrane distillation crystallisation, and membrane capacitive deionisation are some of the methods by which even a very low per cent of lithium can be extracted from saline water. It presents a more sustainable approach to traditional mining. If a breakthrough is achieved, direct lithium extraction from brine in abandoned oil wells could upend the lithium mining industry as such extraction is less harmful to the environment.

Be aggressive, aim big

Several private companies have ventured into this space, and are scripting success stories. A Canada-based lithium extraction company bought abandoned oil wells in Saskatchewan in early 2022 and has produced about 6,000 tonnes of lithium so far. Another Canadian firm is commercialising a technique it has developed to extract and produce lithium from saline water and from oil field brines.

The French government has funded projects worth billions of dollars to produce lithium by collaborating with private companies. All oil-producing countries have started funding more lithium production. India too must think big about lithium extraction and turn to its national oil companies. Joint collaborations with companies specialising in this space are the way forward.

To become a member of the lithium-producing group of countries India must dedicate fully to lithium production from mines, from seawater, from saline water from hot springs, and from brine in abandoned oil wells. India has the resources and the wherewithal to be at the forefront of this energy race. It must be seen if it will take the plunge. 

(Sunit Roy is a petrophysicist who recently retired as Group General Manager, ONGC.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.