Research

Iron & Minerals of the Future Initiative

Accelerating solutions to deliver a high-value product portfolio for a globally competitive minerals industry.

Geosciences Program

Generating geological and geochemical evidence to understand the natural resource potential of Minnesota and the greater United States while driving sustainable resource utilization.

• Sustainable Mineral Recovery: Explored critical mineral deposits of nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum group elements to implement Enhanced Mineral Recovery (EMR) technology in collaboration with PNNL and the US Geological Survey.
• Geological Hydrogen: Identified and characterized ultramafic rocks to research the generation of geological hydrogen as an efficient, long-term energy source.
• Resource Prospectivity: Evaluated the critical mineral potential of key Minnesota sites compared to Alaskan locations to predict the future utilization of domestic resources.

Advanced Mineral Processing Program

Developing cutting-edge technologies and methodologies that enhance energy efficiency and reduce effluent associated with extraction, separation, and processing of iron ore and other minerals.

• Energy Storage Innovation: Partnered with Form Energy to investigate using Minnesota iron resources for high-purity iron oxide, showing favorable performance as a battery precursor in iron-air cells.
• Legacy Resource Utilization: Collaborated with Minnesota startups to demonstrate technologies that produce iron products from legacy stockpiles and tailings.
• Operational Efficiency: Onboarded new processing technologies, including state-of-the-art grinding and flotation cells, to reduce the consumption of energy, water, and reagents.
• Green Chemistry: Developed a unique, high-precision iron ore analysis method that eliminates toxic chemicals and improves measurement accuracy.

Metallurgy & Metallic Products Program

Development of metallurgical processes that reduce carbon and other emissions to produce metallic products from Minnesota and domestic mineral and metal resources.

• DRI Simulation: Completed the design for a Direct Reduce Iron (DRI) Simulator, with delivery scheduled for Q4 2025 and commissioning/validation occurring in FY26 Q1-Q3.
• Sustainable Recycling: Conducted bench-scale lead smelting experiments using biochar as a fossil coal substitute for recycling lead-acid batteries.
• Low-Emission Metallurgy: Scaled iron production to kilograms per day using ammonia and hydrogen plasma through ARPA-E awarded projects in collaboration with Tufts University and the University of Minnesota.

Forest Products & Bioeconomy Initiative

Transforming biomass and waste resources into engineered carbon products, fuels, and next generation materials.

Engineered Biocarbon Program

Understanding the characteristics, production, and application of fit-for-purpose biocarbon products to develop sustainable solutions for environmental challenges and industrial needs.

• Waste Management: Participated in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Wood Waste Utilization Working Group to provide data on urban wood waste.
• Carbon Sequestration: Initiated programs to integrate engineered biocarbon into sustainable infrastructure like roadways and landfills to sequester carbon in the built environment.

Sustainable Materials Program

Developing innovative, renewable, bio-based materials that can replace petroleum-based materials in various industries and applications to reduce carbon emissions.

• Aviation Fuel Strategy: Presented research on forest residuals and supply chain logistics at the Greater MSP Sustainable Aviation Fuels Workshop.
• Renewable Coatings: Developed bio-based polymers funded by the Minnesota Soybean Board to replace petroleum-based acrylics in wood coatings.
• Biodegradation Testing: With support from a UMN Research and Innovation Office research infrastructure grant NRRI established a new laboratory facility to support the development of biodegradable polymers and reduce environmental plastic impacts.

Hybrid Poplar Program

Commercializing and improving fast-growing trees for various applications, including bioenergy production, carbon sequestration and environmental remediation.

• Commercial Development: Advanced the commercialization of fast-growing trees through new field trials, IP disclosures, and the registration of "InnovaTree" with the USDA.
• Environmental Remediation: Established a hybrid poplar sulphate phytoremediation pilot site in Aurora to address industrial runoff.

Ecosystem Resilience Initiative

Defining complex relationships between the environment, economy, and communities to manage impacts while addressing societal needs.

Ecosystem Evaluation Program

Research to assess the health and function of natural ecosystems, human impacts, and remediation strategies.

• Biodiversity Conservation: Completed studies on flying squirrels, golden-winged warblers, and black ash ecology to inform management strategies.
• Wildfire Impact Research: Documented how wildfires cause lakes to remain nutrient-rich and "tea-stained" for two to three years, helping agencies plan restoration.
• Phytoremediation Demonstration: Established a 5-year field demonstration in Aurora with over 300 trees to monitor the removal of waterborne contaminants.

Water Quality Program

A multi-disciplinary program that studies water quality, with a focus on developing solutions to sustainably manage water resources.

• Mercury Cycling: Conducted a comprehensive 10+ year study on mercury exposure in Common Terns to assess remediation effectiveness in the St. Louis River Estuary.
• PFAS Mitigation: Tested adsorbents for cleaning water contaminated by fire-fighting foams using a mobile stormwater laboratory at the Duluth airport.
• Toxic Algae Identification: Identified the specific genes leading to toxin production in Microcystis to help agencies forecast and warn of harmful algal blooms.
• Great Lakes Surveillance: Provided the US EPA with datasets on over 200 legacy and emerging organic contaminants from Lake Superior sediment.

Habitat Program

Understanding the ecosystem needs of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife to inform conservation, restoration and management efforts of natural resources. 

• Moose Co-Stewardship: Launched a state-tribal research effort to estimate the survival and reproduction of young moose in northeast Minnesota.
• Bird Conservation: Developed and released the "Forestry for the Birds" guide in collaboration with over 20 regional professionals.
• Invasive Species Impacts: Tested techniques to control rusty crayfish and confirmed the negative impact of invasive quagga mussels on the Great Lakes food web.
• Urban Integration: Developed tools for wildlife-friendly city planning by researching urban carnivore interactions and green space restoration.

NRRI Integrated Expertise Program

Cross-cutting institute expertise that supports all NRRI programs and projects, from developing custom web applications for visualizing data to material testing, and spatial analysis.

• Decision Support Tools: Launched "ForCAST," a web application that helps land managers navigate forest change and future uncertainty.
• Remote Sensing: Improved UAV imagery techniques to identify vegetation in sensitive fens, reducing the need for damaging physical entry.
• Spatial Data Access: Expanded the Minnesota Natural Resource Atlas to over 200 daily active users through dedicated outreach and support.
• Genomic Capabilities: Upgraded laboratory facilities with a Nanopore sequencing platform to enhance environmental genomics research across the public sector.
• Carbon Flux Research: Joined a regional network of atmospheric towers to measure carbon storage and release in restored peatlands.
• Industry Technical Support: Resolved a critical quality control failure for solar manufacturer Heliene within 48 hours, preventing a prolonged production shutdown.