About
The Alessi Research Group is curious, engaged, and active in furthering our understanding of the surface chemistry of materials including pyrolytic carbon, microbes, minerals, and sediments, the water cycle in unconventional energy recovery, and the extraction of critical minerals from brines.
Driving Questions
What are the underlying mechanisms by which environmental surfaces, including minerals and bacteria, control the mobility of nutrients and contaminants in the subsurface and water bodies?
What is the role of natural pyrogenic carbon in metal(loid) and nutrient transport now and in the geologic past?
How can the water cycle of unconventional energy be improved to minimize environmental impacts, responsibly manage development, and promote efforts to extract valuable metals such as lithium?
Recent News
March 22, 2024 - What lies beneath: unraveling the secrets of the North Saskatchewan River. - Making Waves
September 13, 2023 - Towards a sustainable biochar market in Korea. - AAAS
April 20, 2023 - Mining lithium in abandoned oil fields for tomorrow’s EVs. - Bloomberg
February 22, 2023 - A third option - Lithium demand sees companies looking at recovering low grades of the critical metal from clay. - CIM Magazine
February 21, 2023 - Researchers use tailored deep eutectic solvent to extract critical metals from mixed cathode materials. - Green Car Congress