Syed Z. Islam, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Dr. Syed Z. Islam is a Staff Scientist in the Chemical Sciences Division at the U.S Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He joined ORNI in 2018 after completing postdoctoral training at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Islam earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky (2017), M.S. from North Carolina A&T State University, and B.S. from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Dr. Islam's research focuses on the development of energy-efficient separation materials and processes for energy technologies, including gas separation, critical materials separation and recovery, and bioenergy separations. He has co-invented multiple separation technologies, four of which have been licensed to industry for commercialization. Dr. Islam is a recipient of the 2024 R&D 100 Award and the ORN Innovation Award in 2020, 2023, and 2025.
Abstract: Energy-Efficient, Scalable Membrane Processes for High-Purity Critical Mineral Separation and Recovery: From Concept to Commercialization
Rare earth elements (REEs), particularly neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), and dysprosium (Dy), are critical components of permanent magnets used in hybrid and electric vehicles, wind turbines, a wide range of electronic devices, and defense systems. Rapidly increasing demand and growing supply risks have intensified the need for efficient and sustainable REE recovery technologies. To address this challenge, we have developed an energy-efficient and cost-effective membrane solvent extraction (MSX) process using a neutral extractant for the recovery of REEs from end-of-life permanent magnet scraps.
The MSX process achieved >95% REE recovery with >99.5 wt.% purity across a wide range of scrap magnet feedstocks including electric vehicle motors. High-purity REE recovery was also demonstrated from mining tailings containing low REE concentrations, and individual REEs were successfully separated from mixed REE streams derived from both scrap magnets and mining tailings. Beyond REEs, MSX developed based on a different coordination chemistry showed high performance in recovering critical battery materials—including lithium, cobalt, and nickel—from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. In addition, a novel MSX-based process was developed for the recovery and separation of gallium and germanium from mining tailings.
Overall, these results demonstrate that MSX is an economically viable and environmentally friendly platform technology for the recovery and separation of critical minerals from diverse primary and secondary feedstocks.