Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Critical Material”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

AL-CRADA-2025-01 Final Report: American-Made Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize Accelerate! Phase 2

This report summarizes the Phase 2 achievements of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize project led by Critical Materials Recycling (CMR) in partnership with Ames National Laboratory. The team demonstrated the technical feasibility and economic viability of recovering and reusing rare-earth Nd-Fe-B magnets from end-of-life (EOL) wind turbine generators. Through mechanical disassembly, demagnetization, and precision processing, magnets were harvested and characterized to assess structural, compositional, and magnetic properties. Results showed that recovered magnets performed on par with commercial-grade counterparts, enabling their integration into actuator and motor prototypes without redesign. System-level modeling and finite-element simulations validated operational performance, while Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis revealed up to 20% material cost savings and 2–3% reductions in overall motor system costs. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) further confirmed substantial environmental benefits, including a ~94% reduction in global warming potential relative to virgin magnet production. The project’s success was enabled by a tightly integrated partnership between industry and national lab experts, illustrating a viable path for domestic magnet-to-magnet recycling. These findings support a scalable, circular solution for rare-earth material recovery, reducing dependence on imported critical minerals and advancing sustainable clean energy technologies.

Lograsso, Thomas [Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA↗
DOE OSTI2022

IER-523: Feasibility of Experiments Focused on Measuring the Effects of UO 2 BeO Material on Critical Configurations using 7uPCX [Slides]

Sandia National Labs has access to unused ACRR fuel, which is unique in its enrichment 35% and material composition BeO. ACRR fuel is available in quantities well above what is needed for experiments. Two experiment concepts have been investigated: UO 2 BeO fuel elements and pellets with 7uPCX fuel. The worth of UO 2 BeO is large enough to be well above the anticipated experiment uncertainties.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Materials scarcity during the clean energy transition: Myths, challenges, and opportunities

Abstract Efforts to reach net zero targets by the second half of the century will have profound materials supply implications. The anticipated scale and speed of the energy transition in both transportation and energy storage raises the question of whether we risk running out of the essential critical materials needed to enable this transition. Early projections suggest that disruptions are likely to occur in the short term for select critical materials, but at the same time these shortages provide a powerful incentive for the market to respond in a variety of ways before supply-level stress becomes dire. In April 2023, the MRS Focus on Sustainability subcommittee sponsored a panel discussion on the role of innovation in materials science and engineering in supporting supply chains for clean energy technologies. Drawing on examples from the panel discussion, this perspective examines the myth of materials scarcity, explains the compelling need for innovation in materials in helping supply chains dynamically adapt over time, and illustrates how the Materials Research Society is facilitating engagement with industry to support materials innovation, now and in the future. Graphical Abstract Highlights In this commentary, we examine the myth of materials scarcity, explain the compelling need for innovation in materials in helping supply chains dynamically adapt over time, and show how the materials research community can effectively engage with industry, policymakers, and funding agencies to drive the needed innovation in critical areas. Discussion Demand for certain materials used in clean energy technologies is forecasted to increase by multiples of current production over the next decades. This has drawn attention to supply chain risks and has created a myth that we will “run out” out of certain materials during the energy transition. The reality is that markets have multiple mechanisms to adapt over the long-term, and near-term shortages or expectations of shortages provide a powerful incentive for action. In this commentary, we highlight different ways materials innovation can help solve these issues in the near term and long term, and how the materials research community can effectively engage with industry and policymakers.

Ku, Anthony Y. (ORCID:0000000337622914)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Capacity Investment under Bayesian Information Updates at Reporting Periods: Model and Application

We consider capacity addition decisions by a new product manufacturer faced with uncertain technology alternatives. The manufacturing capacity addition and technology development occurs in parallel, with preliminary results from a technology project's success providing valuable information to the manufacturer in adding capacity. We solve a stochastic dynamic program with Bayesian updates to obtain the manufacturer's expected profit‐maximizing capacity investment decision. Our model and applications are motivated by the Critical Materials Institute (CMI) (funded by the Department of Energy), which manages research projects focused on mitigating critical material constraints, vital to renewable energy technologies such as direct‐drive wind turbines, electric vehicles, and energy‐efficient lighting. We capture three unique aspects of the problem: first, the learning from project progress depends on task‐based stochastic outcomes and a project's percent‐done. Second, the underlying technology's profitability is based on a model of competition. Third, we evaluate the impact of progress across a portfolio of projects based on a manufacturer's capacity addition. We develop a heuristic that produces results that are close to optimal and can thus be used for large problem sizes. The managerial insights from an application of our model to CMI projects include: (i) technology projects that report the percent‐done of a project earlier increase expected manufacturer profit; (ii) careful choice of “safe bets,” that is, technologies with low profitability but a high probability of success, can increase expected manufacturer profit; (iii) a portfolio of projects can increase profits significantly over separate project evaluation; and (iv) dynamic management of project resources can increase overall profit.

Vedantam, Aditya↗
DOE OSTI2024

EDX ClaiMM: Digital Resources for the Critical Minerals and Materials Community

Securing critical mineral supply chains is essential for transitioning to a clean energy economy and for maintaining national security. Big-data analytics can serve as a cost-effective means of identifying new domestic critical mineral resources but only if data can be easily located and digested. Using ArcGIS Enterprise Sites, EDX ClaiMM was developed to increase the accessibility of critical minerals data, reducing time spent on data collection and integration. Hosted tools provide rapid visualization and exploration of key datasets, unlocking insights to support resource assessments.

Yesenchak, Rachel↗
DOE OSTI2026

Opportunities and challenges for the expansion of LFP battery supply chains

Global markets for energy storage are growing rapidly, with some applications transitioning from traditional LiNi x Mn y Co 1−x−y O 2 (NMC) toward LiFePO 4 (LFP) due to cost, safety, and performance advantages. Battery growth has seeded interest in critical material supplies such as high-purity lithium precursors. In contrast, challenges in securing high-purity iron and phosphorus, historically not considered critical materials, are often overlooked. Precursors must remain inexpensive to maintain LFP's current cost advantage, which leverages the low-cost (∼$\$100$ per t) FeSO 4 byproduct from titanium dioxide manufacturing and will not be available as LFP manufacturing expands. As an alternative, iron is mined primarily for steel manufacturing, for which the existing supply chain and beneficiation process is optimized. LFP batteries require small iron volumes compared to steel (0.11%), but profit margins associated with existing low-cost iron ores and high costs (∼$27 000 per t) associated with low volume high-purity iron oxides may limit interest in manufacturing small volumes of high-purity, specialized iron battery precursors. The complementary LFP precursor, phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ), is primarily utilized in fertilizers. Of the current phosphate ore demand for fertilizers, 4–22.8% would be required to meet projected 2045 LFP H 3 PO 4 demand, suggesting significant supply chain planning is needed to achieve projected demand. If only higher-grade material is considered, demand jumps to 15–77% of current world production. While lithium precursor purity requirements have been evaluated (Li 2 CO 3 is commonly defined as ≥99.5%), “battery grade” iron and phosphorus precursors remain poorly defined, with no internationally accessible and widely adopted standard, further challenging expanding industry by creating manufacturing uncertainty and increasing potential costs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Upcycling of Mixed Aluminum Alloy Shredder Scrap using Shear Processing

Conservation of critical materials is an increasing area of focus in the Unites States. In 2023, aluminum was added to the US Department of Energy Final Critical Materials List which has spurred public and private research into sustainable management of these resources. Additionally, efficiency in manufacturing and conservation of natural resources are growing concerns with targets to lower global carbon emissions, as primary aluminum alloy production is energy intensive, requiring 14 MWh of electricity plus 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of Al. Due to these factors, is essential that more sustainable manufacturing methods for aluminum alloys are developed going forward. To this end, much research is ongoing on the topic of more efficient utilization and recovery. However, most of this research still requires primary aluminum in the production process. Here, it will be attempted to bypass the use of primary aluminum and produce useful material recycled from 100% post-consumer scrap. Even considering recent developments in recycling of Al scrap, there is still a large amount of post-consumer scrap that is underutilized due to high impurity content, and that amount will increase significantly as more and more aluminum alloys are utilized in vehicles. This “scrap wave” is expected to cover 80% of the demand for automotive aluminum alloys by 2050 . A challenge to be addressed before the coming scrap wave can be fully utilized is that the tolerance of manufacturing techniques to impurities or off-spec alloy compositions must be increased. Particularly, in 5000-and 6000-series alloys (the most common wrought alloys in durable products), excess iron, copper, and silicon create brittle intermetallics during casting that remain in the extruded microstructure which limit the formability, ductility, and corrosion resistance of the alloy. Concerningly, many of the highest-volume post-consumer aluminum scrap streams such as automotive shredder scrap contain a mix of alloys including both wrought and cast alloys. Their compositions can vary widely depending on geography and the time of year. Because they are mixed, they often contain high content of multiple alloying elements such as Si and Cu in higher concentrations than are found in typical wrought alloys. They may also be contaminated with non-Al alloys from fasteners that get mixed in and often have high content of unwanted elements such as Fe. As a method for utilizing these underused scrap streams that are high in tramp elements, an emerging extrusion technology is being developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) that aims to upcycle 100% post-consumer aluminum scrap directly into extruded components without the addition of primary aluminum . This new technology, called Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE), is enabling a shift away from today’s recycling paradigm by reaching deeper into lower-value scrap streams, using shredder scrap as the extrusion billet material. Sometimes referred to as Twitch or Tweak, these scrap streams result from shredding and sorting of automobiles, building materials, appliances, and consumer goods. ShAPE combines the linear axis of conventional extrusion with a rotating extrusion die. This rotating die applies large strain to the material during extrusion, which breaks up large impurity-containing intermetallic particles, reducing their deleterious effects. This has been demonstrated for 6063 machining scrap spiked with excess Fe, and Twitch scrap high in Fe, Si and Cu where strength and ductility were retained for both feedstock compositions. Additionally, the extreme plastic deformation during ShAPE enables extrusion of billets with high Si that are too brittle for processing by conventional extrusion. By using 100% post-consumer shedder scrap as feedstock, ShAPE has the potential to slash embodied energy and carbon in extruded components by >80% compared to conventional extrusion of primary aluminum alloys.

Milligan, Brian K.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Retrospective on Recent DOE-Funded Studies Concerning the Extraction of Rare Earth Elements & Lithium from Geothermal Brines (Final Report)

Rare earth elements (REE) and lithium are non-toxic metals that are considered critical materials due to their use in electronics, magnets, batteries, and a wide variety of industrial processes important for the economy and military preparedness. Demand for REE and lithium is increasing and these critical materials are imported, so identifying and exploiting domestic sources of REE and lithium is a national priority. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has been in the forefront of sponsoring research investigating the potential recovery of REE, lithium, and other critical minerals from geothermal brines. It has been proposed that the future of geothermal energy should include “hybrid systems” that combine electricity generation with other revenue-generating activities, such as recovery of valuable and critical minerals, including REE and lithium. Two recent GTO funding opportunities have focused on the recovery of REE and other valuable minerals from geothermal brines. The research supported by the GTO’s mineral recovery program is focused on three areas: resource characterization, technology for the extraction of REE, and technology for the extraction of lithium (Tables 1 and 2). This report is a retrospective study examining the outcome of GTO’s two recent mineral recovery programs (DE-FOA-0001016 in FY 2014 and DE-FOA-0001376 in FY 2016). In this report, the knowledge, technology, and techniques that were developed by researchers funded by GTO are summarized and discussed. Four projects were funded to assess the concentrations and amounts of REE found in geothermal brines and oil field produced waters. The GTO-funded studies compiled publically available data on REE concentrations from brines and produced water from all over the USA. In addition, new samples were collected and characterized from major geothermal and hydrocarbon basins in the Western USA. The studies examined the relationship between lithology and REE concentrations and developed models examining the influence of geology on REE concentrations in produced brines. It was determined that REE are frequently found at higher concentrations in oil field produced water than geothermal brines, but that some geothermal areas had significant REE resources. Significant reservoirs of REE were identified in the Western USA. In some cases, concentrations of REE were more than 1000 times the concentrations found in seawater. Collectively, these studies represent a comprehensive picture of REE resources associated with geothermal and hydrocarbon systems in the USA. The studies did not examine lithium resources, but in some cases, lithium concentration data was collected. Data from these studies are housed in the Geothermal Data Repository (GDR) and represent a significant information resource and it is recommended that these data be further analyzed in a future study. Eight projects were funded to develop new technology for REE extraction from geothermal fluids. These projects investigated sorption as an approach for removal and recovery of REE from geothermal brines. The projects investigated cutting-edge technology for selective sorption of ions from complex solutions, including the application of metal-organic frameworks and biosorbent proteins. The REE sorption studies tested different combinations of metal-binding ligands and solid supports. The most promising metal-binding ligands for REE included phosphonic acid, thiol, and carboxylic acid functional groups. Ligands were attached or incorporated into a wide variety of solid supports. In most cases, attachment was via covalent bonding to organic resins, polymers, or silica-based supports. Most of the REE projects were conducted at a low technology readiness level (TRL) and showed promise, but direct comparison between technologies was not possible based on the available information. It is recommended that testing and reporting be standardized to the extent possible to facilitate comparisons between technologies. Two projects were directed at novel lithium extraction technology. Both projects investigated the use of inorganic sorbents, including manganese oxides. One study also examined the use of metal- ion imprinted polymers as selective ion-exchange resins for the separation of lithium and manganese from brines. Both approaches showed promise for the selective extraction of lithium from brines, including potentially geothermal brines. Results from these GTO studies indicated that selective REE and lithium extraction is possible, but interference from co-occurring solutes, such as calcium, magnesium, or heavy metals, will interfere with process efficiency and negatively impact process economics. Techno-economic analysis conducted as part of the resource and technology studies suggest extraction of REE from geothermal brines is unlikely to be economically viable, especially since non-geothermal produced waters frequently have higher REE concentrations. It is recommended that benchmarks for techno-economic analysis be established to the extent possible for future studies, to facilitate direct comparison of various technologies. Based on the collective results of this program, it appears that hybrid geothermal power would benefit more from recovery of lithium and other metals, rather than REE. It is recommended that future studies be conducted at a higher- TRL and that sorbents be tested against actual geothermal fluid samples. Prior higher-TRL efforts to extract metals from geothermal brines should be further evaluated for lessons learned.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Microchannel-based Membrane-less Extraction of Li from Unconventional Lithium Sources & the Separation of REE

This final report provides an overview of the Project's entire duration, covering July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023. It primarily focuses on the achievements, technological developments, and unique challenges the team faced while working on separating and extracting Lithium from produced waters. The project's primary aim was to create an integrated, high-throughput, membrane-less, and modular microfluidic platform that could extract Lithium from unconventional sources. We have successfully met all goals and milestones envisioned in the SOPO document. The most critical primary milestones, including the Go-No-Go milestone (refer to the Gantt chart in the Appendices), were successfully accomplished. We demonstrated phase separation (>90%) and extraction (>85%) performance in the MPSE using synthetic, and representative produced water composition feed at 50 ml/min total flow through MPSE 36. We have also performed a parametric study of the MPSE operations, beyond the scope of SOPO, exploring operating conditions of current and broader interest. The extended investigation of operational parameters is concurrent with our efforts to seek further development of the MPSE technology beyond the scope of the Project. Along these lines of development, we have made efforts to be responsive to DOE calls for technological developments of other types of resources (beyond PW) for the recovery of Critical Materials and higher TRL development (beyond TRL 4). During the work on this Project, we developed and implemented three innovative technical approaches that emerged from our efforts to successfully meet the Project milestones. The innovative & original technical approaches developed and implemented in this Project are now the contributions to process engineering that could be clearly credited to the Project. First, Convergent Design Approach is a comprehensive feedforward & feedback loop of four design phases: i) design for functionality, ii) design for manufacturing, iii) design for sustainability, and iv) design for market. Next was Process Intensification. A major aim of this Project was to create an innovative phase separation & extraction microscale-based technology for Li separation – thus the words microchannel-based in the Project title. A microscale-based technology is intrinsically in the center of the Process Intensification domain as defined by its unique principles. Therefore, Process Intensification was implicitly envisioned in the Project’s SOPO. Lastly, Time Scale Analysis is a novel tool for discovering the needs and directions of Process Intensification implementations in any process technology. This Project is fully credited for developing and implementing the three novel technical approaches mentioned above. These are general contributions to process engineering that emerged from this Project. Beyond the original SOPO scope, the OSU-U.Pitt research group utilized a Convergent Design methodology, integrating first-principles mathematical modeling with experimental validation on the Minimum Development Vehicle. By creating these Digital Twins, the team rapidly assessed manufacturing iterations to support TEA analysis. This framework further enabled the development of advanced Surface Modification Techniques, where hydrophobic and oleophobic coating strategies were optimized via Digital Twin tools and validated through rigorous 100-hour longevity testing. TEA Analysis: The closing efforts of this Project were focused on the TEA analysis. TEA analysis had two primary functions: i) enabling critical assessments of design variations withing 10 the Concurrent Design Approach, thus enabling evolution of the MPSE design to reach faster- better-cheaper alternatives; and ii) to create a bridge between the accomplishments of this Project and future projects of higher TRL, beyond TRL 6 level. It is important to note that the TEA model created in the Project stirred the technological solutions for the recovery of critical materials toward a vision of a very profitable modular plant that has unique zero-waste water discharge signature. More importantly, thanks to our experimental performance data and conservative assumptions, the TEA model predicts minimal technological and investment risks. Low cost of a modular unit of a nominal capacity of [1000 tons of Li 2 CO 3 /year] positions the MPSE based technology within the reach of community investors, thus offering a paradigm shift in the development of critical technologies. The project successfully navigated two primary challenges: solvent selection and manufacturing adaptation. Restricted by the SOPO to existing literature for lithium recovery, the team identified a critical need for a "material excellence program" to develop next-generation solvents, eventually concluding with a preliminary investigation into promising Ionic Liquids (ILs). Simultaneously, COVID-19 supply chain disruptions forced a pivot from traditional manufacturing to advanced additive methods at ATAMI-OSU. By transitioning from stainless steel to 3D-printed polymer substrates, the team achieved a transformative three-order-of- magnitude reduction in manufacturing costs and compressed prototyping timelines from several months to just two days. The MPSE technology offers significant energy, environmental, and economic advantages by overcoming the traditional bottlenecks of phase-separation hardware and contactor size. Unlike conventional mixer-settlers or membrane-based systems, MPSE operates without moving parts or fouling-prone membranes, achieving robust performance even with challenging, viscous, or particulate-heavy feeds. Key performance metrics include an energy intensity reduction of 5–50x (3–40 kJ/m 3 ) compared to incumbent technologies and a dramatic reduction of processing time to under 60 seconds, which drastically reduces the physical plant footprint. These technical efficiencies translate into superior economic outcomes; for a 100 t/year Li 2 CO 3 facility, implementing MPSE is projected to nearly halve contactor CAPEX (from $\$$6.08M to $\$$3.01M) and significantly increase the project's Net Present Value (NPV), derisking new investment and enabling distributed critical-mineral processing configurations. The commercialization of MPSE technology is being spearheaded by Vigsur Dynamics Inc., which has adopted a structured, parallel approach to technical and business development since its formation in January 2026. Following extensive customer discovery and engagement with the Oregon State University accelerator, Vigsur Dynamics is working to establish a business model that transitions from pilot demonstrations to modular hardware sales, ultimately aiming for a "build-own-operate" service strategy. Current technical milestones—including 100 hours of continuous operation, superior energy efficiency, and successful 6-unit modular scale-up— provide a foundation for this transition. Backed by ongoing IP licensing and a growing network of industrial and venture advisors, the company is actively de-risking the platform to replace conventional mixer-settler systems in the critical minerals market.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Application of the Multi-Species, Multi-Reaction Model to Coal-Derived Graphite for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Graphite is a critical material used as the negative electrode in lithium-ion batteries. Both natural and synthetic graphites are utilized, with the latter obtained from a range of carbon raw materials. In this paper, efforts to synthesize graphite from coal as a domestic feedstock for synthetic graphite are reported. Domestic coal-derived graphite could address national security and energy issues by standing up domestic supply chains for battery critical materials. The performance in lithium-ion coin cells of this coal derived graphite is compared to a commercial battery-grade graphite. For the first time, a multi-species, multi-reaction (MSMR) modeling technique is applied to synthetic graphite derived from coal. Key thermodynamic, transport, and kinetic parameters are obtained for the coal derived graphite and compared to the same parameters for commercial battery-grade graphite. Modeling of synthetic graphites will allow for virtual evaluation of these materials toward production of domestically sourced graphite.

Paul, Abigail (ORCID:0000000172892069)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Critical Minerals and Materials Matchmaker-CM3

This is the Critical Minerals and Materials Matchmaker (CM3) survey form. CM3 is an online information resource created to help connect users across the critical minerals and materials supply chain. The survey is designed to allow organizations to self-identify their critical minerals and materials-aligned activities and interests, and an interactive map that displays those on-going activities in a dynamic way. To include your critical minerals management activity or activities in CM3, please open and fill out the Critical Minerals and Materials Survey. If your organization has many ongoing or planned activities that would be onerous to enter in the form, or if your activities are difficult to geolocate (such as a transport network), please email the team at edxspatial@netl.doe.gov. This initiative is aligned with the approach of DOE’s H2 Matchmaker and Carbon Matchmaker. Read more information on H2 Matchmaker and Carbon Matchmaker. Below are some questions to help understand if you should fill out the CM3 survey: Does your company work with elements such as lithium, cobalt, copper, graphite, nickel, rare earth minerals, or platinum group metals? Does your organization have research and development activities related to critical materials or their supply chains? Does your company currently work in the critical minerals or materials supply chain? Do you have prospective work in critical minerals or materials in the next 5 years? Does your company mine, process, refine or distribute critical minerals or materials? Do you want to network with other facilities or organizations working in the same areas? Are you curious about the critical mineral and material activity in your surrounding area? Are you interested in aligning your potential needs across the supply chain to different geographic areas within the U.S? For more information, please see the CM3 website (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/articles/critical-minerals-materials-matchmaker-cm3) or email our team at edxspatial@netl.doe.gov.

CM3↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integrated CO 2 -facilitated Hydrometallurgical and Electrochemical Technology for Sustainable Mining and Recovery of Critical Elements from Wastes and Ashes

The availability of critical materials and other metals is very important for our national security and economic growth since they are widely used in defense and energy applications including batteries and wind turbines. Unfortunately, high grade ores have become scarce and their productions is dominated by limited countries. Thus, there is a strong need to obtain these materials from domestic sources. Municipal wastes are great candidates since they often contain high concentrations of metals. Since the metals in wastes and waste ashes are not in the form found in natural ores and contain a wide range of impurities, conventional extraction processes would not be effective. Thus, our project has developed an innovative MIDAS process based on the integrated CO2-facilitated hydrometallurgical and electrochemical technology that can effectively recover critical materials and metals from waste ashes while minimizing the environmental impacts. We have (i) characterized waste ashes to understand their physico-chemical properties, (ii) developed green solvent systems for hydrometallurgical extraction of critical elements and metals from waste ashes, (iii) explored electrochemical interfaces to refine the extracted metals.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Rugged WBG Devices and Advanced Electric Machines for High Power Density Automotive Electric Vehicles

This work explored two very important approaches for supporting transportation electrification and reducing dependence on imports of critical materials. In the first task, several novel electric machine architectures with low rare earth metal content were compared analytically, then experimentally to verify their performance. Rare earth metals are imported largely from China and are widely used in many clean energy systems such as wind turbines and EV motors. Reducing our dependence on this critical material is an important objective for ensuring our independence and continued economic prosperity. In the second task, a GaN based inverter for EV inverters was developed to demonstrate the suitability of that wide bandgap semiconductor device in this important application.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Thermochemical Conversion of Plastic Waste into Fuels, Chemicals, and Value-Added Materials: A Critical Review and Outlooks

Plastic waste is an emerging environmental issue for our society. Critical action to tackle this problem is to upcycle plastic waste as valuable feedstock. Thermochemical conversion of plastic waste has received growing attention. Although thermochemical conversion is promising for handling mixed plastic waste, it typically occurs at high temperatures (300–800 °C). Catalysts can play a critical role in improving the energy efficiency of thermochemical conversion, promoting targeted reactions, and improving product selectivity. Here this Review aims to summarize the state-of-the-art of catalytic thermochemical conversions of various types of plastic waste. First, general trends and recent development of catalytic thermochemical conversions including pyrolysis, gasification, hydrothermal processes, and chemolysis of plastic waste into fuels, chemicals, and value-added materials were reviewed. Second, the status quo for the commercial implementation of thermochemical conversion of plastic waste was summarized. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives of catalytic thermochemical conversion of plastic waste including the design of sustainable and robust catalysts were discussed.

chemolysis↗
DOE OSTI2025

Understanding Mechanisms of Selective Crystal Nucleation and Growth Using In Situ Electron Microscopy

Separation processes are essential for purifying and isolating critical materials, but are challenging due to the natural tendency of systems to mix. This project explores far-from-equilibrium separation methods using external electric and magnetic fields to drive selective nucleation and crystal growth. Using in situ electrochemical transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we observed ion transport and crystallization behavior under applied electric fields. We found that ions migrate toward the working electrode, where nucleation preferentially occurs. These findings advance our understanding of non-equilibrium separation mechanisms and support the development of efficient, sustainable methods for extracting critical materials from unconventional domestic sources.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Findings on subtask 3.3 – applicability of automated brine chemistry determinations for treatment and recovery processes through facility automation/modularization: engineering design study

Under the Energy & Environmental Research Center’s (EERC’s) ~$\$$22 million Phase II Brine Extraction and Storage Test (BEST) Program, a multimillion-dollar brine treatment technology test bed facility was established in western North Dakota to provide a platform for evaluating developing technologies and approaches for brine treatment and volume reduction. The initial facility, and associated research effort, was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), with in-kind contributions provided by several industry participants and the state of North Dakota. Since its opening, the Brine Technology Test Facility (BTTF) has supported performance evaluations of desalination technologies capable of treating high-salinity produced water (PW) and enabled data collection for multiple approaches of PW management and critical material recovery. As part of the decommissioning process for the original project, facility ownership and liability were transferred to Select Water, which is providing the EERC with a continuing site access option for state or federal research and/or commercial technology development. This report documents the findings from a design study conducted by the EERC and the engineering firm that was originally contracted to design and construct the facility (Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services, LLC [AE2S]) that evaluated the current status of BTTF and its systems and developed a retrofit design to increase the facility’s capabilities through automation and modularization of its PW treatment infrastructure. The proposed retrofit will provide DOE and industry with an expanded range of conditioned PW that can be produced at the facility for evaluating fit-for-purpose water treatment technologies, online instrumentation for brine chemistry determination, and systems that recover critical materials like lithium and magnesium. The current facility consists of an 9600-square-foot facility that includes a 40-foot by 65-foot Class 1, Division 2-rated demonstration area and associated control rooms and lab-ready space capable of sourcing oil and gas PW and wastewater from industrial sources or tailoring brine compositions up to 300,000 mg/L total dissolved solids (TDS) and supplying them at rates up to 25 gpm for extended-duration technology demonstrations. The colocation of the facility with Select Water’s water management facilities allows for access and unloading of more than 10,000 bbl/day of trucked water delivered to site and associated access to on-site Class I and Class II brine disposal wells and nearby hazardous waste landfills operated and/or contracted by Select Water to dispose of concentrate and/or effluents associated with the testing.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗