California, Imperial Valley

Lithium extraction from geothermal brine

electric vehicles

Renewable energy source that experienced increased production in 2010 alongside solar and wind.

A process developed by Simbol Materials that extracts lithium from the warm brine wastewater produced by geothermal energy plants. The method uses membranes and filters to separate lithium from the brine.

Simbol Materials' ongoing project to extract lithium from the brine wastewater of geothermal energy plants in California's Imperial Valley using membrane and filter technology.

Tesla Motors' battery manufacturing facility; the company considered California as a potential site partly due to Simbol Materials' lithium extraction capability, but ultimately chose Nevada.

Lithium metal extracted from geothermal plant brine wastewater using membrane and filter technology. The company has already produced a few hundred tons of this product.