Identification and production of unconventional minerals from geologic formations
AssigneeUS Strategic Minerals Exploration LLC
InventorJames S. Jones
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of producing liquid ore includes identifying a region of the geologic formation containing liquid ore based on at least one of a breach in a basement rock of the geologic formation or a seismographic dim-out within a sedimentary bed of the geologic formation. The liquid ore is then extracted from the geologic formation through a wellbore in communication with the region of the geologic formation. Extracted liquid ore may subsequently be processed to precipitate elements within the liquid ore. Such processing may include, among other things, contacting the liquid ore with a proton acceptor and separating a carbonate from a carbonate mixture derived from the liquid ore.
Claims30
A method of producing liquid ore from a geologic formation, the method comprising:
- identifying a region of the geologic formation containing liquid ore based on at least one of a breach in a basement rock of the geologic formation or a seismographic dim-out within a sedimentary bed of the geologic formation;
- and
- extracting the liquid ore from the geologic formation through a wellbore in communication with the region of the geologic formation.
A method for processing a liquid ore, the method comprising:
- forming a reaction mixture, at least in part, by contacting the liquid ore with carbon dioxide, the liquid ore obtained from a region of a geologic formation identified by at least one of a breach in a basement rock of the geologic formation or a seismographic dim-out within a sedimentary bed of the geologic formation;
- contacting the reaction mixture with a proton acceptor to form a carbonate mixture containing a carbonate;
- and
- separating the carbonate from the carbonate mixture.
A method of producing liquid ore from a geologic formation, the method comprising:
- identifying a region of the geologic formation containing liquid ore based on at least one of a breach in a basement rock of the geologic formation or a seismographic dim-out within a sedimentary bed of the geologic formation;
- at least partially forming a wellbore in the geologic formation such that the wellbore is in communication with the identified region;
- and
- extracting the liquid ore from the geologic formation through the wellbore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.