Unlocking Secondary Sources

The CMI Focus Area Unlocking Secondary Sources conducts research around the themes of Next-generation Critical Materials Recycling and Unconventional Resource Valorization. For questions or more information, please contact cmidirector@ameslab.gov.

News & Highlights

All News | All Highlights

In the News

Iowa Business Podcast: Who’s behind Iowa’s new critical mineral “urban mining” operation?

Stability diagrams of different chemical species in the solid and aqueous solution phase pertinent to the leaching of CdTe (1×10−4 M) in aqueous H2O2-H2SO4 solutions at 25°C. The green area indicates regions where only < 1% of CdTe dissolves. (Figure from submitted publication)

Research Highlight

Modeling electrochemically-enabled recycling of cadmium telluride photovoltaic solar panels for extracting critical semiconductor materials

CMI technology in electrochemical leaching and mentoring from CMI Project Lead Arindam Mukhopadhyay led to the award-winning presentation by HidrogeniCs Inc. Moha Shahjamali, CEO & Co-Founder, is shown receiving the first prize at the “DOE BOOST 2025 Showcase Pitch Event” held on December 11, 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Research Highlight

CMI technology wins DOE BOOST Award

series of images shows two gallon per minute DME Crystallizer at Coalinga site in California’s Central Valley “DME machine” gas cylinder, coriolis mass flow, and flash chamber. Two pictures of the salt that was extracted from the brines. EC cells used to separate various salts prior to DME crystallization. General site picture.

Research Highlight

DME-driven fractional crystallization pilot

$CMI research is featured on the the front cover of the Dec 17, 2025, ChemSusChem, which illustrates the primary production (mining), capture from liquid byproduct, and recycling of rare earth elements (REEs) assisted by dimethyl-ether-driven fractional crystallization to produce solid salts. The associated research article notes how the process “leverages” the synergic use of sodium sulfate for multi-nine REE salt recovery and production of purified water containing single ppm concentrations of REE..$ Research Highlight

Synergistic and selective concentration of rare earth elements from the liquid to the solid phase

Research Projects

CMI Project 3.1.2 Biological separation of energy-critical rare earth elements

CMI Project 3.1.3 Thin film semiconductor recycling

CMI Project 3.1.5 Lithium recovery from dilute sources

CMI Project 3.1.7 (previously 1.2.1) Advanced leaching methods to recover critical materials from mineral sources

CMI Project 3.2.4 Capture and fractionation of lanthanide salts with dimethyl ether-driven fractional crystallization (DME-FC)

CMI Project 3.2.8 (previously 1.2.4) Total utilization of phosphogypsum waste for production of rare earth elements, fertilizers, and construction materials

Unlocking Secondary Sources

Iowa Business Podcast: Who’s behind Iowa’s new critical mineral “urban mining” operation?

Modeling electrochemically-enabled recycling of cadmium telluride photovoltaic solar panels for extracting critical semiconductor materials

CMI technology wins DOE BOOST Award

DME-driven fractional crystallization pilot

Synergistic and selective concentration of rare earth elements from the liquid to the solid phase

CMI Project 3.1.2 Biological separation of energy-critical rare earth elements

CMI Project 3.1.3 Thin film semiconductor recycling

CMI Project 3.1.5 Lithium recovery from dilute sources

CMI Project 3.1.7 (previously 1.2.1) Advanced leaching methods to recover critical materials from mineral sources

CMI Project 3.2.4 Capture and fractionation of lanthanide salts with dimethyl ether-driven fractional crystallization (DME-FC)

CMI Project 3.2.8 (previously 1.2.4) Total utilization of phosphogypsum waste for production of rare earth elements, fertilizers, and construction materials

CMI Project 3.3.1 Graphite production for lithium-ion battery anodes using lignin or polyethylene wastes