Frequently Asked Questions

Our engineered synthetic clays selectively remove NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) from produced water and other industrial streams. The same technology can also capture valuable critical minerals, such as lithium, barium, strontium, and rare earth elements, turning previously discarded materials into valuable resources.

SRT uses a computer-based design approach to create new materials, called adsorbents, that can capture contaminants or valuable elements from water and other sources. This approach is known as computer-aided molecular design (CAMD).

Instead of testing thousands or millions of chemicals in the lab, CAMD uses existing
scientific knowledge about how small molecular building blocks (groups) behave. By combining these building blocks in different ways, our computer algorithms can predict which new molecules are most likely to perform well.

Once the computer identifies the most promising molecules, they are then synthesized in the laboratory and tested to confirm their performance.

Laboratory tests show that the adsorbents designed using CAMD perform an order-of-
magnitude better than currently available materials.

So far, these materials have been successfully tested for removing harmful contaminants, including arsenic, radium, barium, and strontium. Testing is currently underway to evaluate their ability to extract lithium, a valuable resource used in batteries and clean energy technologies.

Traditional laboratory research relies on testing one material at a time, limiting the number of possibilities that can be explored.

In contrast, CAMD uses advanced mathematical and computational techniques to evaluate billions of possible molecular combinations rapidly. This allows researchers to identify the best-performing materials much more efficiently than would ever be possible through manual laboratory testing alone.

As a result, CAMD greatly increases the chances of discovering high-performance materials while saving time, cost, and resources.

Oil and gas operators, mining companies, and industrial facilities that generate contaminated water streams can benefit from our solutions. Investors interested in advanced environmental technologies and critical mineral recovery may also find opportunities to engage with Stochastic Research.

Yes. Our work is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by Dr. Urmila Diwekar, a globally recognized expert in chemical engineering, optimization, and sustainable processes. Our research has been recognized with multiple national and international awards for innovation and practical impact.