Amine functionalized graphene oxide yields laminates with an enhanced capacity to adsorb rare earth elements, improved water transport, and greater stability for effective membrane-based separation of critical minerals.

Using multiple specialized techniques, IDREAM researchers gained a better understanding of how trace impurities within gibbsite affect the hydrogen yield.

Five PNNL innovations earned 2026 R&D 100 Awards for advances in biotechnology, manufacturing, critical minerals, and nuclear security.

Chiral nanotubes facilitate the direction-specific diffusion of carbon dioxide to be faster than nitrogen gas.

PNNL has developed a next-generation electrical resistivity tomography system for DOE that uses E4D software and AI-enhanced modeling to produce real-time subsurface images that help guide environmental remediation decisions.

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

RemPlex 2025 Global Summit on Environmental Remediation attendees share knowledge about cleanup and monitoring of complex sites worldwide; more than 100 presentations are posted online.

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

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.

Nanosize platelets of an aluminum material slide and join in a staggered orientation to form larger crystals.

IDREAM researchers uncovered how dimeric complexes control how aluminum hydroxide minerals dissolve.

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.

Trace amounts of iron and chromium can incorporate into gibbsite, affecting how the mineral dissolves.

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

Increasing concentrations of ions slows the rate of particle aggregation in boehmite suspensions.

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

PNNL chemical engineer Mariefel Olarte shares passion for mentoring students and the next-generation workforce.

RemPlex and IAEA convene international leaders to tackle recruitment and retention in complex environmental cleanup efforts.

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