News & Highlights
Research Highlight
Fluoride control enables REE recovery from bastnaesite
In the News
ORNL: Designer molecules may help valuable minerals float
Research Highlight
Vital rare-earth mineral monazite understanding achieved jointly through theory and experiment
![images depict three ligands on bastnäsite-[100] with explicit solvation Bottom: Comparison of a ligand’s methyl orientation angle as measured by SFG spectra and predicted by DFT simulation for a studied ligand](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-07/cmi-highlight-360.png?itok=5xVkjDeZ)
Research Highlight
Insights from molecular recognition inform rare-earth mineral beneficiation
In the News
ORNL and INL develop low-cost rare earth extraction technique
Vyacheslav Bryantsev at Oak Ridge National Laboratory leads the CMI project "Critical material recovery from ores and lean sources"
Focus is on developing economical methods of recovery of rare earths (RE) from traditional/ nontraditional sources including ores, tailings, and processing streams leading to industry adoption of one or more CMI technologies and to expanded domestic sources of critical materials. Emphasis is on improving the economics of producing concentrates via design of selective collectors, improving state-of-the-art leaching efficiency, RE recovery from leachates, and separation of fine RE-containing solids from viscous liquids. Employed tools include supercomputing, laser spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, electron microscopy, and a range of separation equipment, such as flotation cells, leaching vessels, cyclones, centrifuges, filters, and extraction contactors.