Louisiana State University researchers are working to speed up the search for lithium-rich brines in the Smackover Formation, according to a March 19 announcement. The team is analyzing formation waters to determine if the Louisiana section contains commercially viable levels of lithium.
The project is significant because the United States currently imports a quarter of its lithium, which is considered a critical mineral by federal agencies. Domestic sources could help meet growing demand as global supply is projected to fall short by an estimated 40 percent in 2040.
Department of Petroleum Engineering Associate Professor Ipsita Gupta said, “Once we understand how the brines may have originated, that’s when we’d be able to predict where else they might occur.” Her team, including graduate assistant Ruoqin Pei and students Walter Scheuermann and Tan Ngueyn, collects brine samples from wells in the Smackover Formation. The research received $261,000 from Idaho National Laboratory/Batelle Energy Alliance through the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Smackover Formation stretches from Texas to Florida and dates back about 150 million years. In late 2024, the U.S. Geological Survey found lithium concentrations of 400 parts per million (ppm) in southwest Arkansas brines—double what is needed for profitable extraction with current methods. This discovery led companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and General Motors to announce plans for extraction projects across thousands of acres.
Gupta said it remains uncertain whether Louisiana’s portion will yield similar results but noted that even lower concentrations could become viable as technology advances. “Technology always improves,” she said. “When we were students, shale was only an oil source rock… But then hydraulic fracturing changed everything.”
Her team analyzes samples for 21 elements besides lithium at LSU’s wet lab facilities. After completing their work in Louisiana, they plan to seek funding for further research across the entire Smackover Formation. “We should study the entire formation and sample much more than we are sampling right now,” Gupta said.
Mapping these resources could provide valuable baseline data for future mineral extraction efforts as industry needs evolve.
