Applications Sustainable recycling of mixed plastic waste into valuable monomers. Production of monomer feedstocks for new plastic synthesis. Advantages/Benefits Eliminates the need for organic solvents by using an aqueous ionic liquid system Enables direct recycling or upcycling of mixed plastics without sorting High monomer yields for efficient reuse in … [Read more...] about 2021-190 Aqueous Ionic Liquid Process for Chemical Recycling of Plastics
Water, Air, Geosciences, and Environment
Microporous Materials Enabling Direct Lithium Extraction from Brine 2024-067
APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY: Lithium extraction from brine Improvement of low quality brines BENEFITS: Sorbent process uses only water Highly selective Lower cost than conventional precipitation processes BACKGROUND: Currently, the majority of the world’s lithium is supplied by mining. Conventional lithium mining is expensive, carbon emitting, and … [Read more...] about Microporous Materials Enabling Direct Lithium Extraction from Brine 2024-067
2024-165 Forced Advection Sampling Technique (FAST)
Applications Measurement of emissions from abandoned and active oil and gas wells Quantification of leak rate from petroleum infrastructure Surveying and prioritizing well maintenance and plugging operations Advantages/Benefits Portable, making it ideal for large-scale activities Significantly more cost-effective than current methods Safer to operate … [Read more...] about 2024-165 Forced Advection Sampling Technique (FAST)
Microparticles for Controlled Flow Diverter Formation in Geothermal Reservoirs (2023-138)
Applications of Technology: Geothermal energy recovery General Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) applications Benefits: High temperature stability of microcapsules Control of microcapsule characteristics Microfluidic approach to creating capsules Background: In Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) reservoirs, high-permeability pathways between injection and … [Read more...] about Microparticles for Controlled Flow Diverter Formation in Geothermal Reservoirs (2023-138)
Mineral Extraction and Recovery
Metal Extraction using Novel Nanoscale Polyoxometalates 2024-076 Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a polyoxometalate (POM)-based system designed for the selective removal and recovery of critical metals, specifically lithium and magnesium, from nontraditional brine sources. The POM-based system demonstrates a remarkable selectivity ratio for Li+ and Mg2+ of over 1000, … [Read more...] about Mineral Extraction and Recovery