I am Hyojeong Nam, a combined M.S.–Ph.D. student at SRPL, where I have been pursuing my degree since 2024. I became interested in research on the direct recycling of spent batteries through froth flotation, which led me to focus on mineral processing for recovering valuable metals from secondary resources.

My research focuses on developing more efficient flotation strategies for recycling secondary resources and advancing the realization of a circular resource economy. In the future, I hope to pursue research in mineral processing that offers new perspectives and helps move real-world practice one step forward.

Froth flotation, Colloid chemistry, Direct recycling of secondary resources

B. S., Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea, Earth Resources and Environmental Engineering

1. Nam, H., Mweene, L., & Kim, H. (2025). “Flotation separation of chalcopyrite using acacia gum as a novel fine quartz depressant”. Minerals Engineering, 233, 109624.

2. Nam, H., Gomez-Flores, A., & Kim, H. (2025). “Combining size distribution and shape of plastic and oxide particles to evaluate physicochemical interactions: Aggregation and attachment”. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 488, 137385.

3. Hong, G., Nam, H., Mweene, L., & Kim, H. (2025). “Mitigation strategies of salicylhydroxamic acid collector with oxalic acid in goethite flotation”. Inorganic Chemistry Communications, 171, 113528.

4. Gomez-Flores, A., Park, H., Hong, G., Nam, H., Gomez-Flores, J., Kang, S., ... & Lee, J. (2024). “Flotation separation of lithium–ion battery electrodes predicted by a long short-term memory network using data from physicochemical kinetic simulations and experiments”. Journal of Industrial Information Integration, 42, 100697.

5. Gomez-Flores, A., Cho, H., Hong, G., Nam, H., Kim, H., & Chung, Y. (2024). “A critical review on machine learning applications in fiber composites and nanocomposites: Towards a control loop in the chain of processes in industries”. Materials & Design, 245, 113247.

6. Gomez-Flores, A., Jin, S., Nam, H., Cai, L., Song, S., & Kim, H. (2024). “Attachment of various-shaped polystyrene microplastics to silica surfaces: Experimental validation of the equivalent Cassini oval extended DLVO model”. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 470, 134146.

• Graduate Student Research Fellowship Program, National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), 2024-2025

• Grand Prize, Mine-Tech Festa, Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources Corporation (KOMIR). 2024

• Award of Excellence, The Korean Institute of Resources Recycling (KIRR), 2026