A cleaner path to rare earth metals
Tomás Villalón Jr. ’14 was raised in San Antonio, Texas, but vividly remembers smog hanging over the city his family came from—Monterrey, Mexico, a steel manufacturing and metal fabrication hub.
Tomás Villalón Jr. ’14 grew up in San Antonio, Texas, but spent time in Monterrey, Mexico, where his family is from. As a child, he witnessed the environmental impact of steel manufacturing and metal fabrication in Monterrey, where smog often filled the air. This experience shaped his motivation to address pollution caused by metal production. Villalón studied materials science and engineering, a field focused on understanding and developing materials with specific properties for practical use. During his senior year at MIT, he worked at Boston Metal, an MIT spinoff company aiming to reduce carbon emissions in steelmaking, a process that typically relies on high-carbon methods. These early experiences led him to cofound Phoenix Tailings in 2019, a company focused on sustainable metal extraction.
The mining industry generates over several billion tons of waste annually, which often contains valuable metals like rare earth elements. Rare earth metals are a group of 17 chemical elements that are essential for modern technologies, including smartphones, electric vehicles, and renewable energy systems. However, extracting these metals traditionally involves toxic chemicals and high carbon emissions, contributing to environmental pollution. Phoenix Tailings, cofounded by Villalón, aims to address this issue by developing a cleaner method to extract rare earth metals from mining waste. The company’s process is designed to be non-toxic and carbon-free when powered by renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar power.
Phoenix Tailings uses a proprietary electrochemical technique to extract rare earth metals from mining waste. Electrochemical methods involve using electricity to drive chemical reactions, which can separate metals from waste materials without the need for toxic solvents or high temperatures. The company claims this process generates no toxins and produces no carbon emissions when powered by renewable energy. This approach contrasts with traditional methods, which often rely on harmful chemicals like cyanide or strong acids, and contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The electrochemical technique is part of a broader effort to make metal extraction more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Phoenix Tailings was cofounded by Tomás Villalón Jr. ’14, Michelle Chao ’17, Nick Myers, and Anthony Balladon. Villalón serves as the company’s chief technology officer, overseeing the development of the extraction process. Michelle Chao ’17, an MIT graduate like Villalón, is part of the founding team, though her specific role is not detailed in the article. Nick Myers and Anthony Balladon are also cofounders, contributing to the company’s mission of reducing pollution in metal production. The team combines expertise in materials science, engineering, and sustainable technologies to advance their goals.
