Replacing commercial acid with acidic waste enables researchers to improve nickel extraction efficiency, lower projected costs, and improve process economics.

Localized gradients in magnetic fields have long-range effects on the concentration of rare earth ions in solution, facilitating field-driven extraction of critical minerals.

Studying a series of rare earth element compounds revealed differences in their magnetic behavior that will be leveraged for separations.

In a recent study, PNNL researchers found that noncrystalline mineral surfaces can bind microbial residues to build soil organic matter.

Nanoscale domains of magnetically susceptible critical materials encounter enhanced magnetic interactions under external magnetic fields, providing a promising new avenue for separations.

The size of graphene oxide sheets affects the ability of assembled membranes and adsorbents to separate rare earth elements.

In the search for rare physics events, extremely pure materials are essential. A partnership between PNNL and Ultramet has led to tungsten with low contamination from other elements.

A PNNL team has developed an energy- and chemical-efficient method of separating valuable critical minerals from dissolved solutions of rare earth element magnets.

Surface manganese mining from nodules in South Dakota is now possible with a new scalable selective precipitation process.

Cobalt substitution for magnesium in a model mafic mineral dramatically slows reaction with carbon dioxide to form a cobalt-doped carbonate.

This project sought to assure that research activities centered around different sampling and monitoring efforts in northwest Ohio would not disturb any historical cultural resources.

Precipitation with sodium hydroxide in a flow-gel device enables the rapid extraction of magnesium from seawater in a new scalable process.

Despite the widespread presence of RNA viruses in soils, little is known about the relative contributions and interactions of biological and environmental factors shaping the composition of soil RNA viral communities.

The atomic-level distribution of nickel and cobalt in forsterite depends on the concentration of the different elements.

A multi-institutional team of researchers conducted a 13C-labeling greenhouse study using a semi-arid grassland soil, where they tracked the fate of 13C-labeled inputs from living roots and decaying roots from annual grass Avena barbata.

The surface oxygen functionality of graphene oxide may be tuned using ultraviolet light, affecting how differently charged ions move through the material.

Practical decontamination of industrial wastewater depends on energy-efficient separations. This study explored using ionic liquids as part of the process, enabling efficient electrochemical separation from aqueous solutions.

In soil, microbes produce and consume methane. Using a technique called pool dilution, researchers can separate the rate of methane production and consumption from the net rate.

PNNL’s Climate Network with MSIs and HBCUs aims to bring opportunities to diverse populations.

A simple gel-based system separates metals ions from a model solution of dissolved battery electrodes without the need for specialty chemicals, membranes, or toxic solvents.