Potential assessment of critical raw materials from European geothermal fluids

The energy transition is accompanied by a growing demand for raw materials. The EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) foresees at least 10% of raw material supply covered by domestic sources. Geothermal fluids have the potential to contribute significantly achieving this target. Beyond the well-known and extensively studied lithium resources in European geothermal fluids, additional potential for other elements exists. We assess the potential of 64 elements in geothermal fluids that are defined as critical and strategic raw materials or raw materials in general under the CRMA. This assessment is based on >4000 geothermal fluid analyses across Europe. In summary, 13 of the 64 assessed elements are identified to provide the largest potential based on (a) their concentrations in geothermal fluids, (b) their ability to contribute to domestic supply and reduce supply-chain risks, (c) their hypothetical market value, and (d) their geostrategic importance. These elements are Li, B, Mg, Si, Mn, Ge, As, Rb, Sr, Cs and Pb with high reliability and Sc and Pd with low reliability. At the lower end of the spectrum are nine elements with the lowermost potentials (Se, Zr, Nb, In, Sn, Te, Ta, Re, Bi) and the Rare Earth Elements. ... mehrOur evaluation framework simultaneously considers abundance and availability, economic potential and geostrategic and environmental aspects, thereby improving comparability across elements. Having identified these 13 promising candidates, future research can be more effectively focused on detailed resource assessments and the development of targeted extraction strategies.