Rare-earth elements and platinum group metals are critical elements for applications ranging from smartphones and light-emitting-diode (LED) lights to green energy technologies. Other countries mine and process most of the world’s REE supply. US mines can contribute to 15% of the world’s annual supply of rare-earth elements. However, US mines produce mixtures of these elements, which cannot be used in applications until they are separated from one another. This program will develop sustainable strategies for separating and recovering rare-earth elements and platinum group metals from waste streams. This project will utilize electrically-driven separations to separate these valuable elements. This approach is modular, reversible, minimize waste, and can be driven by renewable sources. Electrode materials that bind these elements will be developed from conductive polymers and carbon nanotubes. Beyond contributing to the critical materials economy, the knowledge gained can be applied to other challenging separations, like removing heavy metals and toxic contaminants from water. This project will also help educate and cultivate a diverse future workforce with key competencies in data science, computation, and experiments. New educational content will be released, students will be trained on advanced materials topics, and K-12 outreach programs will be implemented.