MICHAEL FREE
Professor
Metallurgical Engineering
RESEARCH INTERESTS
His primary research areas include hydrometallurgy, corrosion, and electrometallurgy that are applied in a variety of areas that include rare earth element and critical materials extraction and separation/purification, electrorefining and electrowinning of metals, electrodeposition of materials, electrochemical process modeling, copper extraction and related modeling, corrosion mitigation and modeling, particle processing, interfacial phenomena, and biooxidation.
GRANTS
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTFORCE-BASED SEPARATIONS OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS FROM SALT-BEARING SOLUTIONS4 Nov 2025 - 30 Sep 2026
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTForce-based separations of rare earth elements in citric based solutionsSandia National Laboratories1 Oct 2025 - 30 Sep 2026
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTADVANCED PROCESSING FOR CRITICAL MATERIALS EXTRACTION, RECOVERY, SEPARATION, AND PURIFICATION17 Jan 2025 - 16 Jan 2028
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTADVANCED PROCESSING FOR CRITICAL MATERIALS EXTRACTION, RECOVERY, SEPARATION, AND PURIFICATION17 Jan 2025 - 16 Jan 2028
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTADVANCED PROCESSING FOR CRITICAL MATERIALS EXTRACTION, RECOVERY, SEPARATION, AND PURIFICATION17 Jan 2025 - 16 Jan 2028
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTADVANCING CRITICAL MATERIALS SEPARATIONS TO PRODUCE HIGH PURITY RARE EARTH ELEMENTS USING SCIENCE-BASED, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIESDOD DEFENSE ADVANCED RESRCH PRJCTS AGCY10 Jun 2024 - 9 Jun 2025
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTADVANCING CRITICAL MATERIALS SEPARATIONS TO PRODUCE HIGH PURITY RARE EARTH ELEMENTS USING SCIENCE-BASED, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIESDOD DEFENSE ADVANCED RESRCH PRJCTS AGCY10 Jun 2024 - 9 Jun 2025
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTDEVELOPMENT OF A CARBON-NEGATIVE PROCESS FOR COMMINUTION ENERGY REDUCTION AND ENERGY-RELEVANT MINERAL EXTRACTION THROUGH CARBON MINERALIZATION AND BIOLOGICAL CARBON FIXATION9 Mar 2023 - 8 Sep 2026
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTRare Earth Element and Critical Metal RefiningU.S. Department of Energy1 Oct 2021 - 1 Jun 2023
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTTRANSFORMING UINTA BASIN EARTH MATERIALS FOR ADVANCED PRODUCTS (TUBE-MAP)DOE NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LAB15 Sep 2021 - 31 Dec 2024
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTTRANSFORMING UINTA BASIN EARTH MATERIALS FOR ADVANCED PRODUCTS (TUBE-MAP)15 Sep 2021 - 14 Aug 2023
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTTRANSFORMING UINTA BASIN EARTH MATERIALS FOR ADVANCED PRODUCTS (TUBE-MAP)DOE NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LAB15 Sep 2021 - 31 Dec 2024
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTRare Earth Oxide ProductionU.S. Department of Energy/University of Kentucky31 Mar 2019 - 31 Mar 2022
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTHIGH ENTROPY ALLOYSMAGEE TECHNOLOGIES LLC2 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2020
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTORGANIC REMOVAL TESTINGKENNECOTT UTAH COPPER1 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2019
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTCHLORIDE ENHANCED CU LEACHINGFREEPORT MCMORAN MINING1 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2020
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTZINC CORROSION EVALUATIONDOMINION ENERGY QUESTAR CORPOR1 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2019
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTCOST SHARE-REMADE DEPUTY NODESUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING INNO5 Nov 2017 - 31 Dec 2019
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTREMADE DEPUTY NODE LEADERSUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING INNO5 Nov 2017 - 31 Dec 2019
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTLITHIUM ISOTOPE SEPARATIONDOE OFFICE OF SCIENCE6 Jan 2017 - 31 Dec 2019
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTAC INDUCED CORROSIONQUESTAR GAS COMPANY5 Jan 2017 - 31 Dec 2018
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTINNOVATIVE ELECTROREFININGKENNECOTT UTAH COPPER1 Jan 2017 - 31 Dec 2017
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTMN EXTRACTION EVALUATIONCOMMODITY INVESTMENT & TRADING1 Jan 2017 - 31 Dec 2017
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTRARE EARTH ELEMENT RECOVERYDOE NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY1 Jan 2017 - 31 Dec 2019
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTRETAINING RING ANALYSISDRILLING PRODUCTS INC2 Aug 2016 - 31 Dec 2016