Novel Separations and Extractions Research

NLR is developing light-driven separation methods for critical rare earth elements (REEs) that could reduce dependence on traditional solvent extraction techniques, which are often complex and inefficient. Unlike conventional processes that rely on size selectivity, NLR's approach could target specific REEs based on each element's unique optical and electronic properties. NLR focuses on controlling excited-state energies in lanthanide coordination complexes to influence solubility via tailored photochemical reactions with ligand-excited states, with particular attention to neodymium, europium, terbium, and dysprosium ions due to their distinctive photophysical behaviors and designated short-term criticality. This strategy could enable dynamic, element-specific separations that are faster, more selective, and tunable through ligand design and photoreactivity.

Contact: Andrew Ferguson

NLR membrane research spans the full development cycle, beginning with the synthesis of novel polymer structures designed for targeted performance. These materials are processed into membranes using roll-to-roll manufacturing equipment, enabling scalable and consistent production. Comprehensive characterization is performed to examine morphology with emphasis on understanding how these features influence membrane behavior. This knowledge is applied to engineer tailored membranes optimized for resource recovery in electrodialysis and reverse osmosis applications, ensuring that the final products are purpose-built for efficiency and selectivity in specific separation processes.

Contacts: Mou Paul and Abhishek Roy

Plasma technologies offer a versatile platform that delivers highly reactive species and, when required, efficient thermal input. The broad range of plasma modalities enables process tailoring across multiple stages of critical minerals processing and recovery. NLR focuses on non-thermal plasma systems capable of achieving greater than 90% recovery of dilute critical minerals from aqueous streams while simultaneously deconstructing organic contaminants, as well as microwave plasma technologies for metal reduction and separation from unconventional (solid) feedstocks. Together, these approaches support scalable, energy-efficient solutions that strengthen the security and competitiveness of the domestic critical minerals supply chain.

Contacts: Noemi Leick and Susan Habas

Critical mineral recovery using ultra-selective biological methods could expand domestic supply chains by allowing recovery from unconventional sources and enabling domestic processing. However, achieving high specificity, affinity, and stability in protein-based systems remains a challenge. NLR is developing highly specialized proteins to act as "molecular tweezers" that can assist with harvesting and separation of critical metals from dilute or highly complex secondary feedstocks, like mine tailings and e-waste. Using coupled quantum methods and artificial intelligence, promising candidates are predicted computationally and expressed in the lab for validation. Once identified, these ultra-selective metal binders can be immobilized in chromatography columns to assist with challenging separations or expressed in bacteria, terrestrial plants, or algae for targeted biomining. If successful, this technology can make costly, energy-intensive recovery processes more efficient, allowing valuable materials to be recovered from sources that are currently not profitable to use.

Contacts: Peter Ciesielski and Alli Werner

Recovering critical minerals, particularly rare earth elements found in low concentrations in aqueous runoff from mining or other industrial operations, could significantly reduce U.S. reliance on imports. Unrecovered mining by-products, such as rare earth oxides, exceed U.S. imports by two orders of magnitude. These materials often leach into ponds and watersheds through natural weathering, creating dilute aqueous resources with low concentrations, variable composition, and low pH. To recover value from these resources, NLR is developing cost-effective and energy-efficient technologies based on innovative biomining and biosystems design. NLR teams have identified marine seaweed biological systems that, when deployed in strategic locations, can deliver a low-complexity, selective, bioconcentration (over 6 orders of magnitude) solution for critical mineral extraction from enriched marine waters (e.g., Alaska mining-adjacent ocean inlets).

The biosystem's adsorption mechanism involves interactions between dissolved minerals and functionalized biopolymers in the seaweed biomass. NLR is building prototypes of bio-inspired, functionalized materials (e.g., hydrogels) that mimic biomining in a highly controlled, finely tuned manner, creating a valuable bio-ore. With support from industry partners, the development of such biohybrid materials will remain relevant to mining environments and be tested against state-of-the-art systems.

Contact: Lieve Laurens

Mining byproducts and residues represent a significant secondary source of valuable minerals, containing sufficient quantities to meet nearly all U.S critical mineral needs. NLR partners with the mining industry to develop and evaluate extraction and valorization technologies that are practical for real-world materials and operating constraints. In one example, NLR developed a membrane-free electrochemical pathway to precisely tune pH and recover minerals of value to the construction industry from mine tailings. Through close collaboration with industry, NLR's work remains aligned with operational needs while advancing technologies that strengthen domestic mineral supply chains.

Contacts: Robert Bell and Kerry Rippy