Minerals and Materials Research

NREL researchers seek to deconstruct complex and polymeric materials into usable building blocks that can be recycled or upcycled into performance-advantaged materials using novel processes. We also explore pathways to recover low-abundance components, including rare earth elements and other critical minerals, from the environment and waste sources.

Areas of focus include:

• Pathways for concentration and separation of critical minerals from low-grade feedstocks
• Nutrient recovery from wastewater treatment
• Chemical and biochemical catalytic systems to recover useful molecules from plastics and textiles
• Design of polymeric materials for enhanced functionalities, performance, and recyclability.

Innovations for Mining, Industry, and Agriculture

Industrial processes such as cement production, mining, agriculture, and heat generation for chemical production are energy intensive. To reduce energy costs of industrial processes, NREL develops innovative platforms—from mineralization of mine tailings to microbial systems—that can provide robust bioleaching of metals in battery recycling, biomanufacturing of food-quality protein, and biogenic calcium carbonate for Portland limestone cement.

Recovery and Use of Waste Plastics

Our focus is to valorize waste plastics, textiles, and rubber through innovative and scalable processes. We innovate mechanical, biocatalytic, and chemical recycling technologies to impact the largest variety of potential feedstocks.

Polymers and Performance-Advantaged Bioproducts

Polymers are now produced globally at nearly 1 trillion pounds per year, primarily from petrochemical feedstocks. NREL seeks to create new materials from bio-based feedstocks and building blocks created from the deconstruction of waste plastics. An additional design point for the materials of the future is easier recycling at the end of use.