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  • Critical Mineral Separations: Opportunities for Membrane Materials and Processes to Advance Sustainable Economies and Secure Supplies
Title: Critical Mineral Separations: Opportunities for Membrane Materials and Processes to Advance Sustainable Economies and Secure Supplies
Sustainable energy solutions and electrification are driving increased demand for critical minerals. Unfortunately, current mineral processing techniques are resource intensive, use large quantities of hazardous chemicals, and occur at centralized facilities to realize economies of scale. These aspects of existing technologies are at odds with the sustainability goals driving increased demand for critical minerals. Here, we argue that the small footprint and modular nature of membrane technologies position them well to address declining concentrations in ores and brines, the variable feed concentrations encountered in recycling, and the environmental issues associated with current separation processes; thus, membrane technologies provide new sustainable pathways to strengthening resilient critical mineral supply chains. The success of creating circular economies hinges on overcoming diverse barriers across the molecular to infrastructure scales. As such, solving these challenges requires the convergence of research across disciplines rather than isolated innovations.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2147605
PAR ID:
10554873
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Annual Reviews
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Volume:
15
Issue:
1
ISSN:
1947-5438
Page Range / eLocation ID:
243 to 266
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
critical mineral separations, high-throughput experiments, solute-tailored selectivity, membrane-based processes optimization, machine learning, water–energy nexus
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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