Track 1: Critical Mineral Separation

Faculty Champion

Wencai Zhang (MME)

Team

Sanket Deshmukh, William Ducker, Kaiwu Huang, Aaron Noble, Tina Rost

Project Goal

This project aims to understand how interfacial molecular assembly at mineral–solution interfaces can improve the selective separation of critical minerals, particularly rare earth elements. By integrating adsorption experiments, advanced surface characterization, and molecular simulations, the research will investigate how ligand chemistry and solution conditions control molecular interactions at mineral surfaces. The project aligns with the Virginia Tech Major Grants Initiative by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across mining, chemical engineering, and materials science, generating preliminary data for large-scale proposals, and positioning the team to compete for major federal funding opportunities such as DOE EFRCs and NSF ERCs focused on critical mineral recovery and sustainable materials processing.