Assess lithium concentration and brine chemistry data from produced water to judge whether direct lithium extraction is technically viable.
Oil, Gas & Energy
Direct Lithium Extraction from Oilfield Brines and Produced Water
Learn to assess oilfield brine lithium potential, select a direct lithium extraction technology, integrate it into produced water operations and build the economic case for a project.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Produced water from mature oilfields sometimes carries lithium concentrations worth recovering, and direct lithium extraction technologies developed for geothermal and other brines are increasingly being tested against oilfield chemistry. This course works through the full assessment sequence: interpreting brine chemistry data for lithium potential alongside competing ions, projecting recoverable lithium volumes against declining produced water rates over field life, and comparing adsorption, ion exchange and membrane-based extraction technologies against a given brine's impurity profile. Participants design an integration plan that ties an extraction unit into existing produced water handling infrastructure, work through the permitting questions that arise when a produced water stream is processed for mineral recovery rather than disposal, and build a project economic model that tests returns against lithium price volatility and technology performance assumptions. The course closes with partnership and offtake structures that let an operator monetise lithium without becoming a chemicals producer. Using real brine chemistry datasets, the course leaves participants able to judge whether a lithium recovery project is worth pursuing and how to structure it.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Compare adsorption, ion exchange and membrane-based direct lithium extraction technologies against a given brine's chemistry and impurity profile.
Estimate lithium recovery rates and reagent or energy consumption for a shortlisted direct lithium extraction technology.
Design an integration plan that fits a lithium extraction unit into existing produced water handling and disposal infrastructure.
Identify permitting and water management requirements specific to processing oilfield brine for mineral recovery.
Build an economic case for a direct lithium extraction project that accounts for brine volume decline over field life.
Evaluate technology and offtake partnership structures that let an operator monetise lithium without becoming a chemicals producer itself.
Who Should Attend
Reservoir and production engineers assessing whether existing or planned wells produce lithium-bearing brine worth recovering.
Business development staff at oil and gas operators evaluating critical minerals diversification opportunities.
Water management engineers responsible for produced water handling who must accommodate a new extraction process.
Technology licensors and equipment vendors positioning direct lithium extraction solutions to oilfield operators.
Investors and project developers assessing the technical and commercial credibility of oilfield lithium projects.
Environmental and regulatory affairs staff managing permitting for brine processing and by-product disposal.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Lithium Resource Characterisation in Oilfield Brines
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Brine Chemistry and Lithium Potential
- Interpret produced water analyses for lithium concentration alongside competing ions such as magnesium, calcium and boron.
- Assess how brine temperature, salinity and flow rate affect which extraction technologies remain viable options.
- Identify formations and basins where produced water lithium concentrations have proven commercially interesting elsewhere.
- Distinguish a genuine lithium resource from an anomalous high reading that does not represent sustained recoverable volume.
Session 2Estimating Recoverable Lithium Volumes
- Project brine volume and lithium concentration trends over the remaining producing life of the field.
- Account for produced water decline curves when estimating cumulative lithium available for extraction over field life.
- Assess uncertainty in lithium resource estimates arising from limited historical brine chemistry sampling.
- Compare estimated recoverable lithium against the scale needed to justify capital investment in extraction infrastructure.
02Direct Lithium Extraction Technology Selection
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Comparing DLE Technology Families
- Compare adsorption-based direct lithium extraction against ion exchange and membrane technologies for a given brine chemistry.
- Assess how impurities such as silica, iron and organics affect fouling and pretreatment requirements for each technology.
- Evaluate reagent consumption, water use and waste stream implications associated with each extraction technology family.
- Match technology maturity and reference project experience against the operator's tolerance for technical risk.
Session 2Estimating Performance and Yield
- Estimate lithium recovery efficiency and expected product concentration achievable with the shortlisted technology.
- Assess pilot testing requirements needed to validate vendor performance claims against actual site brine.
- Identify energy and chemical consumption figures that materially affect operating cost per tonne of lithium recovered.
- Evaluate post-extraction concentration and conversion steps needed to reach a saleable lithium chemical product.
03Integration with Field Operations and Infrastructure
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Fitting Extraction into Produced Water Handling
- Map the produced water handling system to identify the optimal tie-in point for a lithium extraction unit.
- Assess pressure, flow and temperature conditions at the tie-in point against the extraction technology's design requirements.
- Design brine return or disposal arrangements for the depleted stream leaving the extraction process.
- Coordinate extraction unit uptime requirements with existing produced water treatment and injection operations.
Session 2Permitting and Environmental Management
- Identify permitting requirements for processing produced water for mineral recovery rather than disposal alone.
- Assess water balance and disposal implications of any water consumed or concentrated during the extraction process.
- Evaluate by-product and waste stream management requirements arising from reagents used in the extraction process.
- Engage regulators early where oilfield lithium recovery falls between existing oil and gas and mining regulatory frameworks.
04Commercial Structuring and Project Economics
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Building the Economic Case
- Build a project economic model that combines capital cost, operating cost and projected lithium price into a return estimate.
- Test project economics against declining brine volume and lithium concentration over the remaining field life.
- Compare the cost of oilfield lithium recovery against conventional brine and hard-rock lithium production costs.
- Assess the sensitivity of project returns to lithium price volatility and technology performance assumptions.
Session 2Structuring Partnerships and Offtake
- Evaluate technology licensing, joint venture and tolling structures that let an operator access lithium extraction expertise.
- Negotiate offtake agreements with battery material buyers that reflect product quality and delivery volume uncertainty.
- Allocate risk between operator and technology partner for performance shortfalls against guaranteed recovery rates.
- Plan a phased development, from pilot to commercial scale, that limits capital exposure until performance is proven.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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