As the name suggests, geochemistry deals with the chemical components of a planetary body such as Earth. All the metals, minerals, and fluids responsible for the evolution of human civilization are accessed directly or indirectly from the Earth. Some of the minerals and elements are considered highly important for the enduring technological era. Rare earth elements, high field strength elements (HFSE), some transition elements (Ni, Cr, Co, Ti, V, etc.), and alkali metals like Li are vital in this electronic age. At the SciGlyph, we explore the methods for finding newer means to harness (extraction or recycling) these metals from natural and e-waste to minimize the mining activities for completing the demand of such elements in the future. E-waste is the fastest growing solid waste entity, and its market (currently 50 million tons/year) will be grown by a double by 2050 (110 million tons/year). These e-wastes can be the potential source for elements required in electronics and energy storage embodiments. With this perspective, the SciGlyph (geochemistry wing) is in the quest for developing green methods for extracting Rare earth elements specifically from e-waste. The projects in the geochemistry division are at the early stage of development, and we are planning to collaborate with some more experts working on this subject. The ongoing projects are:

Formation of supercritical fluid from e-waste and extraction of REE using non-acidic treatment.

The geochemistry division at SciGlyph is also working on the issue of groundwater contamination with hazardous elements e.g. Arsenic (As), Fluoride, and Uranium (U). The team is studying the cause of contamination of groundwater in the Indo-Gangetic plain which can be either geogenic or anthropogenic. It has been recently established in a study that Arsenic contamination in groundwater is responsible for the increase in carcinogenic disease in parts of Eastern India. At present, we aim to establish the source which is responsible for this hazardous contamination and develop an eco-friendly economic tool or system for the purification of these groundwater. The second stage of this project is to develop a mechanism to stabilize or neutralize the high concentration of As, F and U in the groundwater on local aquifers if possible.