Start of the project: 2022
Project duration: 48 months
Grant agreement: nє101058163
Project website: https://crm-geothermal.eu/
Geothermal fluids often contain large amounts of elements that the EU considers "critical" raw materials (CRM). Preliminary calculations show that even one well can produce single-digit percentages of the EU's needs. Combined heat and mineral extraction maximizes return on investment, minimizes environmental impact, requires no additional land use, leaves no mining legacy, has a near-zero carbon footprint and ensures domestic CRM supply.
To assess the overall supply potential, CRM-geothermal will expand the existing geothermal fluid atlas by collecting new data and sampling wells to determine CRM content in Europe and East Africa. The potential of different geological conditions for combined production will be assessed. Extraction/separation methods exist, but must be adapted to the harsh conditions of such systems (high temperature, pressure and salinity). Material combinations and flow patterns will be evaluated at laboratory scale to optimize systems for various geothermal plants and CRMs.
A modular mobile facility will be developed and deployed at existing geothermal facilities for pilot studies, scale-up studies and system integration. Technological developments will be accompanied by environmental and social impact assessments to ensure effective management. A UNFC/UNRMS compliant reporting template will be developed to build confidence among investors, regulators and the public. The project will promote key benchmarks for engaging stakeholders to obtain and maintain a 'social license to operate'. Combined mining creates new business opportunities for both small and medium-sized enterprises and large companies, and its economics under likely future market developments will be explored in order to propose appropriate business models.
CRM geothermal energy will unlock a potentially huge untapped resource and deploy solutions to help Europe achieve the strategic goals of the EU Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Agenda.
EFG is a partner in a Horizon Europe project called CRM-geothermal. In the frame of the project, EFG launched a Video Contest for 12-18-year-old students. Please find all the information at the following link. EFG would appreciate if you could promote this interesting activity for students or secondary school teachers who could motivate their students.
 Project brochure |
Press release Potsdam May 2023 |
Press release Cornwall October 2023 |
New and media
Where to meet us?
EU Raw Materials Week
On 10 December, project coordinator Katrin Kieling will present CRM-geothermal at a side event of the EU Raw Materials Week: "Supporting the Critical Raw Materials Act: Research Projects in the European Union".
In addition, our project is in charge of organising this year's edition of the the third edition of the annual workshop of the annual workshop of the Cluster Hub “Production of raw materials for batteries from European resources” which will be held on 12 December in a hybrid format.
European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry
Researchers from GFZ will present "A Simplified Analytical Routine for Platinum Group Elements (PGEs) in Geothermal Waters" at the 2025 European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, held in Berlin, Germany, from 2-7 March 2025.
Learn more: https://ewcps2025.de/
Open call for stakeholders
Our Stakeholder Board comprises experts in geothermal energy and critical raw materials and we currently have an open call to further enlarge the group as we start to implement the first engagement activities. Stakeholders are involved on a voluntary basis and your commitment entirely depends on your availability, but will not exceed 2 hours per month.
As a member, you will:
- Obtain first-hand insights into the research we are performing
- Contribute to the development of the CRM-geothermal technology by providing insights and expectations to bridge it to the market. This contribution will be given through participation in foresight exercises (i.e., Focus Groups and Scenarios)
- Obtain official acknowledgement of your support to the project implementation
Are you interested in this exciting opportunity? Then reach out via info@crm-geothermal.eu with your CV or a link to your LinkedIn profile and a short statement expressing your interest in our project.
Webinar recordings available online
In spring 2024, the RAWMINA and CRM-geothermal projects jointly organised a webinar on “Frontier technologies for sustainable extraction of critical raw materials”.
Utilising advanced techniques such as adsorption and other innovative separation methods, RAWMINA and CRM-geothermal are redefining possibilities in critical raw materials recovery from mine waste and geothermal fluids.
Our webinar served as a platform to delve into the intersecting realms of RAWMINA and CRM-geothermal, facilitating an exchange of insights and discoveries.
The recordings of the presentations given are available online on our YouTube channel.
Announcing the winners of our video contest
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the CRM-geothermal Video Contest. The contest attracted an incredible array of talent and creativity, highlighting the importance of geothermal energy and critical raw materials.
- First Place: ‘A Hope for Our Future’ by Aurora Zaffino (Italy)
- Second Place: ‘How geothermal solves the CRM climate crisis’ by Tom Knight (UK)
- Third Place: ‘Geology with George’ by Mari Symonds and Kayleigh Sandeman (UK)
We invite you to discover the finalists here and watch all other submissions here! Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all participants for their submissions!
#CRMgeothermalStudents: Anika Thomas
Під час стажування та магістерської роботи Аніка Томас досліджувала гірські породи Північно-Німецького басейну щодо великої кількості критичних елементів літію, стронцію та міді.
Аніка є студенткою магістратури Університету Мартіна Лютера Галле-Віттенберга, де вона вивчала прикладні науки про Землю. Для її магістерської роботи вона приєдналася до GFZ Potsdam та CRM-геотермального проекту.
#CRMgeothermalStudents: Samuele Frigo
Anika Thomas investigated during an internship and her Master Thesis the rocks of the North German Basin regarding the abundance of the critical elements lithium, strontium and copper.
Anika is a Master student from the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg where she studied Applied Geosciences. For her Master Thesis, she joined the GFZ Potsdam and the CRM-geothermal project.
Various milestones reached
Throughout the last months, the project team reached several milestones:
- Researchers from the Laboratory of Microbiology at the University of Neuchâtel and Dr. Brill + Partner GmbH performed innovative screening experiments to identify microbes capable of extracting valuable metals like lithium (Li) and mitigating problematic elements such as lead (Pb) which can cause scaling in some geothermal power plants.
- The teams from GFZ and Izmir Institute of Technology made significant progress in testing adsorption materials for lithium and strontium extraction. Trials were conducted using manganese dioxide and zeolite-based materials at GFZ and IzTech laboratories, alongside a field test at the Tuzla geothermal power plant in Türkiye.
- Levin Sources, together with Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL), and Cornish Lithium, successfully organised a consultation workshop which sought to gather input from local stakeholders in the West Cornwall region, United Kingdom. The consultation findings will support the development of the Social Licence to Operate (SLO) guidelines that will ultimately be applied to dual geothermal-metal extraction projects. The event was held in Redruth, the centre of a historically important mining area that may host dual geothermal-metal extraction projects in the future.