Phytomining Workshop (Virtual)
As the United States expands its investment in clean energy technology, meeting the demand for critical minerals will become critical. Currently, the U.S. depends on the international market for the sourcing and processing of critical metals such as Ni, Co, and REEs putting the clean energy transition and net zero goal at great risk. Therefore, the U.S. urgently needs to develop alternative sources of these minerals independent of the global market. Phytomining is an additional means to contribute to the growing demand for clean energy minerals using metal-hyperaccumulating species that can be cultivated to extract critical minerals from toxic natural soils (e.g., serpentine soil) or take up high-value minerals from anthropogenic wastes such as mine tailings. This workshop intended to gather external inputs from across the world for transformative technology needs to catalyze a large-scale deployment of cost-competitive and low carbon-footprint phytomining in the US. Topics covered included hyperaccumulator research and development, soil management and agronomic practices, microbiome engineering, biomass processing, critical metals and REE separation from plant biomass, technoeconomic analysis, life cycle assessment, value chain development, and tech to market strategies.
Day 1: May 30th, 2023, 1 pm – 4 pm ET
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Time (EST) |
Description |
|---|---|
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1:00 – 1:10 PM |
Dr. Evelyn Wang, ARPA-E Director |
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1:10 – 1:25 PM |
Workshop Goals, US critical mineral supply chain issues, Phytomining as an alternative solution Dr. Philseok Kim, ARPA-E Program Director |
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1:25 – 2:15 PM |
Invited Talk: The history of phytoremediation and phytomining in the U.S. Dr. Rufus Chaney (retired, former USDA) |
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2:15 – 2:30 PM |
Invited Talk: TEA and LCA considerations for phytomining in the U.S. Professor Victor Vasquez (University of Nevada, Reno) |
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2:30 – 2:40 PM |
Break; Transition to Breakout 1 |
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2:40 – 4:00 PM |
Breakout 1: Phytomining in the US (General Topic) |
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4:00 – 4:05 PM |
Next Steps Dr. Philseok Kim, ARPA-E Program Director |
Day 2: June 1st, 2023, 1 pm – 4 pm ET
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Time (EST) |
Description |
|---|---|
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1:00 – 1:15 PM |
Dr. Philseok Kim, ARPA-E Program Director |
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1:15 – 1:50 PM |
Invited Talk: Agromining – A European Perspective Dr. Antony van der Ent (Econick and Botanickel) |
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1:50 – 2:50 PM |
Breakout 2a: Hyperaccumulators – Agronomy, Biology, Soil Science (from seed to metal crops) |
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2:50 – 3:00 PM |
Break |
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3: 00 – 4:00 PM |
Breakout 2b: Hyperaccumulators – Agronomy, Biology, Soil Science (continued) |
Day 3: June 14th, 2023, 1 pm – 4 pm ET
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Time (EST) |
Description |
|---|---|
|
1:00 – 1:15 PM |
Readout from Breakout 2 Dr. Philseok Kim, ARPA-E Program Director |
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1:15 – 1:50 PM |
Invited Talk: Separation of nickel and rare earth elements from hyperaccumulators Professor Marie-Odile Simonnot (University of Lorraine, Nancy, France) |
| 1:50 – 2:05 PM |
Invited Talk: Critical metals recovery and waste decontamination by flash Joule heating Dr. Bing Deng & Professor James M. Tour (Rice University) |
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2:05 – 2:55 PM |
Breakout 3: Biomass Processing, Metal Extraction & Separation (from metal crop to high-value metal products) |
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2:55 – 3:05 PM |
Break |
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3:05 – 4:00 PM |
Breakout 3: Biomass Processing, Extraction & Separation (from metal crop to high-value metal products) (continued) |
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4:00 – 4:05 PM |
Dr. Philseok Kim, ARPA-E Program Director |
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