Sajkowski L, Turnbull RE, Dumaru P, Rogers KM. 2022. Critical element concentration in high temperature producing geothermal fluids in New Zealand. Lower Hutt (NZ): GNS Science. 36 p. (GNS Science report; 2022/39). doi:10.21420/10.21420/KMR9-E480.
Abstract
This review compiles and presents a publicly available database on the chemical composition of geothermal waters from wells and springs in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) and Ngawha, New Zealand. The purpose of this review is to collate previously dispersed datasets, to enable the typical geothermal reservoir water compositions at various locations around the TVZ (and Ngawha) to be assessed and compared. In addition to the tabulated chemical data, we summarise several elements that occur in New Zealand geothermal fluids that are currently considered ‘critical’ for the transition to a carbon-neutral economy and outline their potential applications in green technologies. The second part of the report summarises suitable analytical methods to detect different elements from geothermal fluids using inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These methods open new in-house opportunities at GNS Science for the resource assessment of critical elements in geothermal fluids and beyond. (The authors)
