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46-4 Environmental Benign Recovery of Critical Minerals from Domestic Resources

Session: Research to Accelerate Recovery of Critical Minerals from Primary and Secondary Resources

Presenting Author:

Guangping Xu

Authors:

Xu, Guangping¹, Xiong, Yongliang², Wang, Yifeng³, Powell, Matthew⁴

(1) Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA, (2) Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA, (3) Sandia National Laboratories, Sarasota, FL, USA, (4) Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA,

Abstract:

The demand for key critical minerals (CMs) in these technologies could grow over 450% by 2050. The U.S. currently relies heavily on import. Existing CM extraction processes are labor-intensive and take a devastating toll on the environment due to the generation of large volumes of waste streams. Assuring a secure, reliable, and sustainable domestic supply of CMs is essential to both national security and net-zero carbon goals by 2050. Its success depends upon enabling environmentally friendly extraction from unconventional and secondary domestic sources.

This presentation will introduce critical mineral recovery efforts using organic acids from secondary and unconventional resources, including coal ash, shale, mine tailings, lithium clay deposit and produced water. Our major findings and progress on recovery of these feedstocks will be presented.

SNL is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525. This project is supported by the U.S. DOE FECM via FWP-23-025668 and DE-FE0032051. SAND2024-07687A

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-10752

Environmental Benign Recovery of Critical Minerals from Domestic Resources

Description

Session Format: Oral

Presentation Date: 10/19/2025

Presentation Start Time: 02:40 PM

Presentation Room: HBGCC, 216AB

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