Romain Millot

   

Scientific Director
Lithium de France

BIO

Romain Millot, Ph.D. in Isotope Geochemistry (IPGP, University of Paris 7, 2002), is currently the Scientific Director of Lithium de France, the first independent geothermal heat and lithium operator in France. Established in 2020, the company aims to accelerate the energy transition by supplying low carbon heat to businesses and farmers and by producing local lithium for electric vehicle batteries. Romain oversees the scientific activities at Lithium de France, coordinating scientific projects and playing a crucial role in securing partnerships and funding. Additionally, Romain manages the company's digital roadmap, driving technological advancements and innovation to keep Lithium de France at the forefront of the industry. His expertise and dedication are instrumental in shaping the company's future and achieving its long-term objectives.
He has published 80 scientific articles, with 22 as the first author, and has an H-Index of 43.

In 2013, he earned the Research Management Certification (HDR) from the University of Orléans. In 2024, Romain was awarded a Certificate from École Polytechnique – Executive Education in Managing with Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

ORCID ⤵
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3731-7784

Geothermal lithium in Alsace at the heart of the energy transition in France.

The combined production of heat/electricity and lithium from hot and deep geothermal waters could be a local and sustainable solution for reducing our carbon footprint to produce energy and critical raw materials. The geothermal lithium concept is based on the combined use of heat from hot, deep water and the extraction of lithium naturally present in the brine.

Lithium is an alkaline metal with interesting electrochemical properties that make it an essential mineral resource in the battery industry. On Earth, lithium is concentrated in the Earth's crust in solid form (rocks and minerals) or liquid form (salt lakes and geothermal waters).

The supply risks are particularly important for lithium and concern both economic and geopolitical criticality and also societal, ethical and climatic impacts. In such a context, the development of a local industrial sector for lithium production from geothermal resources can have a strong impact on our territories. Coupling heat production and lithium extraction from geothermal water should allow the Upper Rhine graben area in Germany and France not only to develop a competitive industrial sector but also to contribute to the reduction of environmental impacts by producing at a local scale a renewable energy and lithium with a low carbon footprint.