DESC0023945

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase, I-II Fast-Track proposal, preserves fluoride and critical minerals with technology that leads to decarbonization. Additionally, the work establishes a secure and resilient domestic supply chain of critical minerals. At the same time, it addresses the vulnerabilities in the overconsumption of water and energy. Thus, simultaneously this project aims to lower costs, improve efficiency, and establish a robust domestic supply chain of critical minerals. Currently, fluoride recovery requires massive inputs of water and energy. Fluoride recovery developed in this project enables the reusability of other critical minerals using only 1% of the water incumbent technology requires. The project develops an innovative method to recover fluoride from water efficiently. At the conclusion of this project: fluoride and critical minerals will be reclaimed from unconventional sources such as lithium-ion battery scrap. These minerals will meet manufacturing quality standards to promote a resilient supply chain. The project will develop a system to efficiently separate fluoride and other critical minerals from lithium-ion battery scrap, thus securing a new domestic supply chain of critical minerals. The commercial application is the bolt-on use of this project in current direct recycling. The commercial benefit of this project is upcycling the untapped > $5 billion domestic battery scrap market. The project develops a new industry and opportunity in Central Oregon aimed at equal and equitable access to women, people of color, and marginalized communities.