Materials Seminar - Pengbo Chu

Industrial Challenges in Critical Minerals: Rare Earth Minerals and Lithium Sedimentary Claystones as Case Studies

Pengbo Chu
Columbia University
Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering

The global push toward clean energy and electrification have intensified demand for critical minerals such as rare earth elements (REEs) and lithium, yet many domestic and unconventional resources remain difficult to process economically and sustainably. This talk examines the industrial-scale challenges of critical mineral recovery through two case studies from ongoing research: rare earth mineral processing and lithium extraction from sedimentary claystones. For REEs, key bottlenecks include complex gangue mineralogy and the need for selective, low-impact separation methods; approaches such as dense media separation and ore sorting will be discussed as pathways to improve recovery while reducing waste and environmental burden. For lithium sedimentary claystones, an emerging and largely untapped domestic resource, challenges center on mineralogical heterogeneity, carbonate and clay gangue removal, and optimizing acid leaching chemistry for efficient, selective lithium extraction. Across both systems, I will talk how integrating advanced characterization, process engineering can accelerate the path from lab-scale discovery to industrially viable, sustainable processing. I will also discuss broader opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, spanning materials science, data science, and automation, in addressing the critical minerals supply chain challenge.

Host: Associate Professor Chong Liu