Critical mineral source potential from oil & gas produced waters in the United States

The volume of produced water, a by-product of oil & gas operations and other energy processes, has been growing across the United States (U.S.) along with the need to manage or recycle this wastewater. Produced water contains many naturally occurring elements of varying concentrations, including critical minerals which are essential to the clean energy transition. However, the current understanding of critical mineral concentrations in produced water and the associated volumes across the U.S. is limited. This study has assessed available databases and literature to gain insight into the presence and concentration of five high priority critical minerals, namely cobalt, lithium, magnesium, manganese, and nickel. The U.S. Geological Survey's National Produced Waters Geochemical Database was the main data source used for determining average critical mineral concentrations in produced water from the major oil and gas reservoirs in the U.S. The volumes of produced water for these major reservoirs were coupled with these concentrations to provide insights into where critical minerals are likely to have high abundance and therefore more recovery options. The analysis indicated the highest recovery potential for lithium and magnesium from produced water in the Permian basin and the Marcellus shale region. However, these assessments should be considered conservative due to the limited availability of reliable concentration data. It is expected more critical mineral recovery options could emerge with comprehensive characterization data from more recent and representative sources of produced water.