SUSTAINABLE MINERAL PRODUCTION VIA INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

The SusMinT laboratory at Virginia Tech is committed to conducting cutting-edge research in the field of sustainable mineral production, with a particular focus on critical and energy-relevant minerals, employing the latest technological advancements. Innovative technologies and processes are developed in the laboratory to enhance critical mineral recovery from various feedstocks, including primary, industrial, and secondary sources. Focusing on sustainable mineral production, different fundamental and applied research topics were investigated. This presentation will introduce selected ongoing research topics at the SusMinT laboraotyr, including calcination-enhanced extraction of rare earth elemens (REEs) from coal refuse, micro-assisted green recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries, litium recovery from produced water using advanced lithium adsorbents, microwave-assited hydrothermal carbonization for REE recovery and value-added byproducts generation from hyperaccumulators, and CO₂-assited grinding for comminution energy reduction. Our major findings and progresses on these topics will be presented.