Summary
Dr. Ehsan Vahidi is an Associate Professor, Department Chair, and the John N. Butler Endowed Professor in Extractive Metallurgy at the ҹɫÊÓƵ. His research focuses on developing sustainable technologies for recovering critical and strategic minerals from primary resources, recycled materials, and waste streams. His work aims to strengthen U.S. critical-mineral supply chains while reducing the environmental footprint of mineral production.
Dr. Vahidi's research integrates innovative mineral extraction, separation, and recovery technologies with techno-economic analysis, life-cycle assessment, and scale-up evaluation. This multidisciplinary approach evaluates the environmental performance, economic feasibility, and commercial deployment potential of emerging technologies for mineral production, recycling, and resource recovery. In 2024, he received the Freeport-McMoRan Inc. Career Development Grant from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME).
He earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University, where his research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Critical Materials Institute. He subsequently completed postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focusing on strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the sustainability of materials and resource systems.
John N. Butler Endowed Professorship in Extractive Metallurgy
The John N. Butler Endowed Professorship in Extractive Metallurgy was established in 1986 through a gift from the estate of Professor John N. Butler. Professor Butler served as chair of the Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering and the Department of Mining Engineering at the ҹɫÊÓƵ. The professorship supports excellence in extractive metallurgy within the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering.
Research Interests
- Critical and strategic minerals
- Sustainable mining and extractive metallurgy
- Separation science and mineral recovery
- Life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis
- Recycling, resource recovery, and the circular economy
- Waste management, minimization, and valorization
Courses
- MINE/MET 101: Introduction to Mining & Metallurgical Engineering
- MINE/MET 102: Computer Applications in Mining & Metallurgical Engineering
- MINE 120: Sustainable Resource Management
- MET 433/633: Solution Mining, Heap Leach Design, and Optimization
- MINE 733: Green Design and Production for Sustainable Engineering
Education
- Postdoctoral Associate, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020
- Ph.D., Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, 2018
- M.Eng., Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida, 2014
- M.Sc., Metallurgical Engineering, University of Tehran, 2008
- B.Sc., Metallurgical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 2005
Selected Recent Publications
- Nikfar, S., Sharifian, S., Nili, S., Mousavinezhad, S., & Vahidi, E. (2026). Comparative techno-economic analysis of direct sustainable lithium extraction from brine: Solvent extraction, adsorption, and combined nanofiltration/membrane distillation-crystallization. ACS Sustainable Resource Management, 3(5), 1570-1580.
- Rabbani, M., Muthoni, F., Rabbani, M. T., Nili, S., Sharifian, S., & Vahidi, E. (2026). Dual-product phytomining systems: Techno-economic and life-cycle implications of fast pyrolysis-enabled REO production. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 230, 108888.
- Sharifian, S., Nikfar, S., Subasinghe, C., Iranmanesh, Z., Rezaee, M., & Vahidi, E. (2026). Conventional vs. direct vs. electrochemical lithium extraction: A holistic TEA-LCA of lithium carbonate production from spodumene. Green Chemistry, 28(2), 1144-1157.
- Kadivar, S., Sharifian, S., & Vahidi, E. (2025). Natural, synthetic, or recycled? A life-cycle and techno-economic analysis of battery-grade graphite production. Journal of Environmental Management, 395, 127747.
- Mousavinezhad, S., Sharifian, S., Nikfar, S., & Vahidi, E. (2025). The next lithium boom? Assessment of U.S. domestic production pathways through economic and environmental lenses. Environmental Science & Technology, 59(44), 23802-23811.
- Nili, S., Rabbani, M., Sharifian, S., Vasquez, V. R., & Vahidi, E. (2025). Reclaiming value from waste: A techno-economic evaluation of rare-earth extraction from coal refuse. ACS Sustainable Resource Management, 2(9), 1807-1815.
- Nili, S., Thella, J. S., Sharifian, S., Chu, P., Vasquez, V. R., & Vahidi, E. (2025). Economic viability and environmental impact: A dual approach to sustainable REE production from bastnasite using a density-based sorting machine. Science of the Total Environment, 983, 179696.
- Sharifian, S., Nili, S., & Vahidi, E. (2025). Evaluating upstream processing strategies for rare-earth element recovery from NdFeB waste magnets: A comparative techno-economic and environmental analysis. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 13(19), 7134-7142.
- Mousavinezhad, S., Fahimi, A., Sharifian, S., & Vahidi, E. (2025). Sustainable lithium production from sedimentary rock deposits: Carbon reduction and EV synergies. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 218, 108271.
- Nikfar, S., Fahimi, A., & Vahidi, E. (2025). Unlocking sustainable lithium: A comparative life-cycle assessment of innovative extraction methods from brine. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 212, 107977.
- Mousavinezhad, S., Nili, S., Fahimi, A., & Vahidi, E. (2024). Environmental impact assessment of direct lithium extraction from brine resources: Global warming potential, land use, water consumption, and charting sustainable scenarios. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 205, 107583.
Professional certifications
- Kaufman Teaching & Learning Certificate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Teaching and Learning Lab, 2019.
- Mini-MBA, Applied Management Principles, Purdue University, Krannert School of Management, 2018.
Honors and awards
- Excellence in Review Award for 2018; Resources, Conservation, and Recycling Journal, February 2019.
- College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award; Purdue University, May 2018.
- Ecological Sciences and Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student in Research Award; Purdue University, April 2018.
- Hugh W. and Edna M. Donnan Dissertation Fellowship; Purdue University, July 2017.
- A.H. Ismail Interdisciplinary Program Doctoral Research Award; Purdue University, January 2018.
- Purdue College of Engineering Travel Award; Purdue University, October 2017.
- Andrews Environmental Research Award; Purdue University, February 2017.
- TMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society) Travel Award; TMS 2016, February 2016.
- Blosser Environmental Research Award; Purdue University, January 2016.
- Lynn Fellowship; Purdue University, July 2014.
- ESE IGP Travel Award; Purdue University, February 2015
- Presidential Fellowship; University of South Florida, August 2011.