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Topic · Mechanical Engineering

Extraction and Separation Processes

Extraction and Separation Processes is a research topic within Mechanical Engineering. Science Explorer counts 65k research works in it since 1950. 10.0% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, recovery of rare earth elements, and sustainable technology for metal recovery. It discusses hydrometallurgical processes, circular economy implications, environmental impact, and global supply concerns related to battery recycling and rare earth recovery.

  • Battery Recycling
  • Lithium-ion Batteries
  • Rare Earth Elements
  • Metal Recovery
  • Sustainable Technology
  • Environmental Impact
  • Hydrometallurgical Processes
  • Circular Economy
  • Resource Depletion
  • Global Supply
Research works
65k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
6.5k
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.0%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+63%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
56% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Extraction and Separation Processes

Which countries lead Extraction and Separation Processes research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (7.5k and 1.5k works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 7.5k works
  2. 2 United States 1.5k works
  3. 3 India 1.1k works
  4. 4 Germany 616 works
  5. 5 Russia 606 works
  6. 6 South Korea 542 works
  7. 7 Indonesia 439 works
  8. 8 Japan 413 works
  9. 9 France 369 works
  10. 10 United Kingdom 367 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 55.9%United States: 11.0%India: 8.0%Germany: 4.6%6 others listed: 20.5%56%largest
China7,470 · 55.9%United States1,468 · 11.0%India1,069 · 8.0%Germany616 · 4.6%6 others listed2,736 · 20.5%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Extraction and Separation Processes research?

By volume in 2022-now, Central South University publishes the most Extraction and Separation Processes research, followed by Chinese Academy of Sciences and Kunming University of Science and Technology.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Central South UniversityChina 475 works
  2. 2 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 422 works
  3. 3 Kunming University of Science and TechnologyChina 328 works
  4. 4 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 254 works
  5. 5 Northeastern UniversityChina 187 works
  6. 6 University of Science and Technology BeijingChina 173 works
  7. 7 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 161 works
  8. 8 Helmholtz Association of German Research CentresGermany 119 works
  9. 9 Tsinghua UniversityChina 104 works
  10. 10 China University of Mining and TechnologyChina 93 works

Who are the leading researchers in Extraction and Separation Processes?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Extraction and Separation Processes include Zhong Lin Wang, Michaël Grätzel and Kostya S. Novoselov.

  1. 1 Zhong Lin Wang United States 491k citations
  2. 2 Michaël Grätzel Switzerland 458k citations
  3. 3 Kostya S. Novoselov United Kingdom 331k citations
  4. 4 Yury G. Gogotsi United States 313k citations
  5. 5 Wei Huang China 267k citations
  6. 6 Yi Ping Cui United States 261k citations
  7. 7 Xiaogang Wang China 260k citations
  8. 8 Kenji Watanabe Japan 237k citations
  9. 9 Donald G. Truhlar United States 230k citations
  10. 10 Kai You Wang China 224k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in Extraction and Separation Processes?

The most cited paper in Extraction and Separation Processes is "Nano-sized transition-metal oxides as negative-electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries" (Philippe Poizot, Stéphane Laruelle, Sylvie Grugeon et al., 2000), with 8,054 citations. Next come "Phospho‐olivines as Positive‐Electrode Materials for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries" (7,919) and "The ecoinvent database version 3 (part I): overview and methodology" (5,553).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Nano-sized transition-metal oxides as negative-electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries Philippe Poizot, Stéphane Laruelle, Sylvie Grugeon et al. · Nature Sep 2000 8,054
2 Phospho‐olivines as Positive‐Electrode Materials for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries Akshaya K. Padhi, K.S. Nanjundaswamy, John Bannister Goodenough · Journal of The Electrochemical Society Open access Apr 1997 7,919
3 The ecoinvent database version 3 (part I): overview and methodology Gregor Wernet, Christian Bauer, Bernhard R.P. Steubing et al. · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 21 Apr 2016 5,553
4 Sodium-ion batteries: present and future Jang‐Yeon Hwang, Seung‐Taek Myung, Yang-Kook Sun · Chemical Society Reviews ReviewOpen access 2017 5,319
5 Seven chemical separations to change the world David S. Sholl, Ryan P. Lively · Nature 22 Apr 2016 4,776
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Extraction and Separation Processes research done?

The largest centres of Extraction and Separation Processes research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Changsha (China), Kunming (China) and Shanghai (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Muan, Freiberg and Lemont.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 1.3k works
  2. 2 ChangshaChina 576 works
  3. 3 KunmingChina 427 works
  4. 4 ShanghaiChina 341 works
  5. 5 WuhanChina 310 works
  6. 6 ShenyangChina 253 works
  7. 7 MoscowRussia 231 works
  8. 8 NanjingChina 205 works
  9. 9 ChengduChina 198 works
  10. 10 TianjinChina 192 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. MuanKR · 23.7 works43×
  2. FreibergDE · 33.5 works21×
  3. LemontUS · 54.0 works16×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Extraction and Separation Processes than the world average.

See Extraction and Separation Processes on the map

Where is the best place to study Extraction and Separation Processes?

Among universities, judged by research, Central South University, Kunming University of Science and Technology and Nanyang Technological University score highest, combining citation excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 20.49%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →University of Califo…Nanyang Technologica…Central South Univer…Kunming University o…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Citation excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Central South UniversityChina 64.212.5%15.1×475 +59.3%
2Kunming University of Science and TechnologyChina 59.311.9%35.6×328 +123.6%
3Nanyang Technological UniversitySingapore 59.328.3%1.5×19 +84.6%
4University of California, BerkeleyUnited States 58.533.6%1.5×23 +80.8%
5Tsinghua UniversityChina 58.022.5%2.8×104 +88.5%
6Rice UniversityUnited States 57.533.4%2.7×10 +385.9%
7China University of Mining and TechnologyChina 56.418.6%7.2×93 +139.1%
8National University of SingaporeSingapore 56.221.1%1.7×33 +218.4%
9Northeastern UniversityChina 55.511.5%12.8×187 +75.4%
10University of Science and Technology BeijingChina 55.211.5%13.6×173 +130.9%

Universities only. The score blends citation excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in Extraction and Separation Processes, country by country

Is Extraction and Separation Processes research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 63% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Extraction and Separation Processes.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Extraction and Separation Processes as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.087% in 2024.

still counting0.050%0.10%Extraction and Separation Processes0.094% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Extraction and Separation Processes over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Extraction and Separation Processes9.7% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

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