A.M. Fasnacht
PureLi,
United States
Summary:
The growing demand for critical minerals such as lithium, coupled with the environmental challenges of wastewater management in the oil and gas sector, presents a unique opportunity for sustainable innovation. This presentation, featured in the Innovative Approaches in Wastewater Treatment: Enhancing Sustainability and Efficiency symposium at TechConnect World 2026 (March 10–12, Raleigh, NC), highlights an integrated solution developed to recover valuable materials from fracturing and tail-end wastewater streams before reinjection. Leveraging PCM’s E-Lite technology, the project introduces a novel method to extract and harvest high-value minerals, addressing both resource efficiency and environmental responsibility. The product development journey began with a fundamental problem statement: how to prevent the loss of critical minerals while ensuring compliance and operational sustainability. Guided through the NSF I-Corps program, the team engaged deeply with end users, operations experts, and scientists to validate needs, refine hypotheses, and design a scalable, field-ready solution. By combining process engineering, materials science, and customer-driven innovation, this work demonstrates how oil-producing nations with existing technical expertise can evolve toward circular resource recovery models. The outcome positions wastewater not as a liability, but as a critical source of strategic materials supporting the transition to a more sustainable and resource-resilient energy future.