Low-heat Process for the Production of High-value Micro- and Nano-materials from Metallic Wastes

In topic 6C, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) emphasizes the need for “innovative approaches (…) that use low/no direct application of heat to transform materials into higher value products.” Sep-All LLC provides a novel low-heat technology platform enabling the extraction of metallic elements from waste streams while adding a value to the materials through their conversion into high-value micro- and nano-materials. Sep-All unique technology is a platform based on chemo-mechanical stresses and interface metastability at the microscale to drive a controlled separation of mixed sources into high-value micro- and nano-materials of purified compounds (e.g. oxides, acetates), without the need to operate at high temperatures. Sep-All plans to extend its product line to the fabrication of ‘critical materials’ (materials with high supply risks and high environmental impact during ore processing). Sep- All has proved the applicability (in a laboratory setting) of the technology for the recovery of neodymium (a rare-earth element) from hard-drive magnet wastes and indium. More R&D efforts must be carried to establish the commercial relevance and viability of the manufacturing operations. In addition to the health and environmental benefits offered by Sep-All’s novel technological approach, our innovative platform could also potentially decrease U.S. interdependency on other countries for the supply stream of critical materials (e.g. the U.S. relies on China for >90% of their supply Neodymium and Indium), which is also a DOE priority.