Award Abstract # 2235871
NSF Convergence Accelerator Track I: Accelerating Use of Geologically-driven Engineering and Reclamation (AUGER), A Predictive Approach to a Sustainable Critical Minerals Industry

NSF Org: ITE
Innovation and Technology Ecosystems
Recipient: CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: December 14, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: December 14, 2022
Award Number: 2235871
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Linda Molnar
ITE
 Innovation and Technology Ecosystems
TIP
 Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
Start Date: December 15, 2022
End Date: November 30, 2023 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $738,922.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $738,922.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2023 = $738,922.00
History of Investigator:
  • Karin Olson Hoal (Principal Investigator)
    keo52@cornell.edu
  • Charles Bachmann (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Louisa Smieska (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Cornell University
341 PINE TREE RD
ITHACA
NY  US  14850-2820
(607)255-5014
Sponsor Congressional District: 19
Primary Place of Performance: Cornell University
341 PINE TREE RD
ITHACA
NY  US  14850-2820
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
19
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): G56PUALJ3KT5
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Convergence Accelerator Resrch
Primary Program Source: 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s): 131Y00
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.084

ABSTRACT

In order to meet the metal and mineral resource requirements for a low-carbon and renewables-led future, fulfill infrastructure needs, and lift communities out of poverty, a true paradigm shift in the US mineral resources sector is needed. This project provides an opportunity to merge fundamental materials sciences to better inform engineering and practices for a more sustainable US mineral industry. It brings together an interdisciplinary and diverse team of scientists and engineers working on unconventional mineral resources such as mine waste and tailings, at scales ranging from the micron to kilometer scale, in order to address the national need for critical minerals. The project uses the information from the nature of the materials themselves, the compositions of ore deposits as well as mine waste materials, to predict how extraction of critical minerals can be made more effective for a better domestic supply. It combines measurement methods and engineering approaches into a sustainable mining toolkit and delivers community-based workshops to inform society of the potential for a sustainable mineral resources industry. The goal is to fundamentally change the way mineral extraction is informed and designed by becoming more adaptive to the nature of the materials themselves, and to uncover new critical mineral resources while cleaning up sites and reducing risks. The project will also contribute to a more diverse, interdisciplinary and creative workforce for the future.


This project brings together experts in geology, mining, and materials characterization from the microscale to the macroscale, with industrial partners in mineral extraction and tailings reuse, next-generation building materials, and entrepreneurship. This diverse team recognizes that most of the data generated in a minerals project is underutilized, and so the team aims to advance project knowledge by linking early-stage characterization to the prediction of impacts, critical minerals discovery, the mineral extraction value chain, and the sustainable end-use of byproducts. The AUGER project has three objectives: 1) Improve fundamental materials science characterization capabilities by developing a new multi-modal mineral mapping tool, 2) inform new and adaptive engineering strategies in ore and waste management by integrating microscale and remote sensing datasets into geometallurgical models that drive predictive insights, and 3) catalyze a paradigm shift for stakeholders in industry, communities, and the general public through workshops, a resource toolkit, and outreach to diverse groups for a diverse, interdisciplinary, innovative and transformative minerals industry of the future. Objective 1 develops a novel approach to microscale-resolution, large-area mineral characterization with minimal sample preparation by integrating x-ray fluorescence and hyperspectral reflectance probes, while objective 2 incorporates new microscale data along with hyperspectral remote imaging by drone and satellite and integrates these data for an industry-community tool. These objectives will enable prediction of potential negative impacts and also of potential new critical mineral resource value through early, basic understanding of the materials. The AUGER project also will advance collaboration and education by engaging industry partners, the public, and local site stakeholders in advance of mineral resource site development. Increased knowledge of materials characteristics enhances the opportunities for society to optimize the potential value inherent in ores. Shifting the plan for waste management to the very beginning of site exploration enables earlier identification of potentially overlooked key critical mineral sources in waste, promotes sustainable re-mining of waste, and engages end-users for bulk byproducts in sustainable industries such as next-generation building materials or agricultural soil amendments and CO2 sequestration.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

As an NSF Convergence Accelerator Phase 1 project, our primary goal was to refine our concept for leveraging cutting-edge research tools to have a major impact in materials sustainability. Our project, "Accelerating Use of Geologically-driven Engineering and Reclamation (AUGER), A Predictive Approach to a Sustainable Critical Minerals Industry" aimed to link existing microscopic chemical characterization of samples (e.g. synchrotron micro-x-ray fluorescence; quantitative scanning electron microscopy such as TESCAN) with existing macroscopic, site-scale, remote sensing methods (e.g. drone- or satellite-based hyperspectral imaging) in a multi-scale approach that would increase efficiency and reduce overall waste by enabling minerals extraction to become more proactive and tailored to the specific area of the deposit being processed. By engaging stakeholders, our team aimed to better understand and prioritize the specific material properties needed most by the mineral resource industry for identifying critical mineral resources as well as re-purposing waste byproducts such as mine tailings. We were interested in identifying end uses for the lower-value, higher-quantity fractions of extracted rocks and minerals, especially whether this waste could be useful as an alternative cementitious material to lower the carbon footprint of the building materials industry. 

Three broad objectives of the project were to 1) advance characterization by developing a new multi-modal mineral mapping tool, 2) inform engineering strategies in ore and waste management by integrating microscale and remote sensing datasets into geometallurgical models, and 3) to catalyze a shift in minerals industry stakeholders towards our multi-modal predictive approach. Objective 1 referred to the integration of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) at the microscale. Objective 2 was to understand how to incorporate this new microscale data along with hyperspectral remote imaging by drone and satellite into a tool that would be useful to both industry and community stakeholders. Objective 3 focused on engagement with stakeholders and initiating dialogue that would both shape our Phase 2 proposal and influence the direction of minerals extraction projects. In addition, the Convergence Accelerator curriculum included several deliverables, including a team collaboration agreement, stakeholder interviews, project branding, a marketing video, a low-fidelity prototype, a full Phase 2 proposal, and multiple rounds of pitching.

 In Objective 1, an integrated XRF-HSI microscale imaging system was designed collaboratively between Cornell and RIT, components were purchased, and commissioning was begun. We entered Phase 1 believing that chemical (elemental) analysis of mine waste materials at multiple length scales would be sufficient information for stakeholders to make informed decisions about potential for reuse. From the user-centered design process, we learned that other factors, importantly grain size and distribution, are also key characterization concerns when companies consider waste materials for reuse in applications like cement replacement. 

In Objective 2, the user-centered design process revealed that we needed not only tools for chemical image analysis, data registration, and automated feature extraction, but also a platform where data could be made shareable and searchable for access by all stakeholders, and where new computational workflows could be developed. We leveraged the deep expertise of computational scientists in the Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator Sciences and Education (CLASSE) to build a prototype architecture for a data and computing platform which could be further grown into the OreCast product. 

In Objective 3, we identified a case study location in eastern New York state, around the area of Mineville, where historic mine tailings contain rare earth-bearing minerals. The team visited this area to conduct both local stakeholder interviews and airborne hyperspectral analysis on the site with support from our industry partner Phoenix Tailings. The goal was to characterize the materials using different techniques to build a direct link between characterization at the micro and macro scales for stakeholders to use. Samples were provided to CHESS, RIT, and CSIRO facilities for analysis.

This project provided opportunities for research and training for one Cornell and two RIT graduate students. These experiences formed an invaluable training experience linking modeling with laboratory and field experimental work. Likewise, these experiences exposed these students to the critical importance of the role that chemical analysis and remote sensing can play in sustainable mineral resource applications like those addressed in the AUGER project. The team has presented our project as several international conferences, and the project has resulted in one master's thesis and at least one article in preparation.

It is increasingly clear to the team that stakeholders from many realms, industrial, academic, and local communities, can be empowered by access to data and computing tools that could advance the sustainability of the minerals resource sector. For many team members, this project gave us a new understanding of the immense scale and urgency of the challenges we face as a society, including the immense and growing demand for minerals and building materials and the massive climate and environmental impacts our traditional methods of obtaining these have caused.


Last Modified: 03/29/2024
Modified by: Karin E Olson Hoal

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