The Non-Equilibrium Transport Driven Separations (NETS) Initiative brings together researchers from multiple disciplines to develop a new paradigm in separation science, focused on innovative and scalable methodologies that will efficiently and selectively extract critical materials from unconventional domestic resources.

Demand for many critical materials is increasing due to their importance for emerging renewable energy technologies, but traditional sources of these materials are becoming rapidly depleted or harder to obtain. Traditional sources are also typically extracted using energy- and chemical-intensive processes that result in a substantial environmental burden. It is imperative to develop innovative approaches to sustainably extract these materials from abundant domestic sources through economically viable processes, thereby strengthening the resilience of U.S. manufacturing and supply chains.

NETS will establish the foundational knowledge of how critical materials move and react under far-from-equilibrium conditions generated by external fields. This knowledge is essential to developing efficient and selective separations that do not rely on traditional equilibrium processes. Traditional separations are often energy-intensive, generate large amounts of waste, and rely on costly specialty chemicals and materials that are prone to fouling and degradation over time. To meet the challenges of transitioning to a future with net-zero emissions, separations must be flexible, energy-efficient, and cost-effective.

Reaching these goals requires a multifaceted approach that bridges fundamental science and applications-focused technology development. NETS includes two targeted scientific thrusts and a crosscutting thrust to develop new experimental and theoretical capabilities for characterizing and modeling selective precipitation of critical materials at far-from-equilibrium conditions. The scientific thrusts are focused on understanding how targeted critical materials respond to external fields at a molecular level and in complex and evolving real-world feedstocks.

NETS includes 25 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory staff members from multiple directorates in the disciplines of chemistry, materials science, physics, engineering, and molecular modeling, as well as collaborations with leading academic and industrial partners.