David Boutt Speaks to WHYY on Fracking and Lithium in PA

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PBS member station WHYY recently spoke with David Boutt of the College of Natural Sciences's Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences about recent research into how wastewater produced by hydraulic fracturing (or "fracking") in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale can contain lithium.

“'These are very high lithium concentrations. And some of them are approaching concentrations of lithium that we see in [South America],' said Boutt, who researches lithium systems in the U.S., Canada and South America. He said in South America, there are concerns about extracting too much water in an arid landscape. 'So having a source of lithium in what is essentially a waste product is a really important step,' he said. 'I think how we get [enough supply] is having multiple sources of lithium that have low-carbon and low-water footprints.'”

— WHYY

Click here to read the article on WHYY.