Abstract

The BrineMine Project is a German-Chilean multi-disciplinary research project realized by research and industry partners. The focus is on development of strategies for raw material and water extraction from geothermal springs (Brine Mining) in Chile. The topics can be separated into a geologicalfgeo-chemical part and a mechanical engineering part, which are processed in close cooperation by the project consortium. In the first part, the economic potential of the dissolved raw materials in thermal spring waters in Chile is assessed by analyzing existing geochemical data of different sites. This is complemented by hydrogeochemical and geophysical exploration campaigns. The second part focuses on the development, construction and implementation of a prototype for pre-treatment and concentration ofgeothermal brines. With the comprehensive expertise of the team, a treatment strategy was developed and tested in a geothermal power plant, enabling controlled silica precipitation in order to overcome this limiting factor for geothermal energy production and associated raw material extraction.