Good news!
Notice how machine learning & AI were used here as a novel approach! This is only the beginning!
"The United States Geological Survey has located a massive quantity of lithium in a subterranean Arkansas brine reservoir. The researchers estimate it may contain between five million and nineteen million tons of the metal. For context, the International Energy Agency projects global lithium demand will reach 500 thousand tons in 2030. While it is not yet clear how much of the lithium can be extracted, the find should help put claims of an inevitable lithium shortage to bed."
"The study’s novel methodology, carried out collaboratively by the USGS and the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment’s Office of the State Geologist, made it possible to quantify the amount of lithium present in brines located in a geological unit known as the Smackover Formation. Extracting lithium from brines co-produced during oil and gas operations provides an opportunity to extract a valuable commodity from what would otherwise be considered a waste stream. ...
“Our research was able to estimate total lithium present in the southwestern portion of the Smackover in Arkansas for the first time. We estimate there is enough dissolved lithium present in that region to replace U.S. imports of lithium and more. It is important to caution that these estimates are an in-place assessment. We have not estimated what is technically recoverable based on newer methods to extract lithium from brines,” ..."
https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/unlocking-arkansas-hidden-treasure-usgs-uses-machine-learning-show-large "Using a combination of water testing and machine learning, a U.S. Geological Survey-led study estimated between 5 and 19 million tons of lithium reserves are located beneath southwestern Arkansas. If commercially recoverable, the amount of lithium present would meet projected 2030 world demand for lithium in car batteries nine times over."
Katherine J Knierim, Ph.D. PG, hydrologist or lithium lady
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