Virginia Tech said it is spearheading a research coalition to reveal the untapped potential of the greater Appalachian Mountains region.
The initiative is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) program, which seeks to establish regional coalitions focused on accelerating the development of critical mineral supply chains from unconventional resources.
The Expand Appalachia CORE-CM team, led by Richard Bishop, a professor of practice in the Virginia Tech Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering and a researcher at the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, has secured a $7.5 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE). In addition, the project will receive over $2 million in cost-sharing contributions from project partners and industry stakeholders, bringing the total project funding to nearly $10 million.
The area of study spans 11 states throughout the greater Appalachian region from Tennessee to Maine. Working with project partners and industry collaborators, the team will collect and analyze various material and legacy mine waste samples to characterize mineral structure and concentration levels. Targets will include both coal and non-coal resources as well as power generation facilities and other unconventional critical mineral sources throughout the region.
The Expand Appalachia project builds on Bishop’s previous $2.71 million DOE project, Evolve Central Appalachia, which collected and analyzed more than 700 geologic and mine waste samples to make an initial assessment of the regional potential for rare earth element and critical mineral production.
“For many years, the Virginia Tech Mining and Minerals team has been a national leader in the area of rare earth and critical mineral production and is committed to work that improves the lives of our friends and neighbors through Appalachia,” noted Aaron Noble, Department Head of Mining and Minerals Engineering and project co-principal investigator. “I am excited to see how this new project will advance our efforts and expand our opportunities to secure domestic production of these critical resources.”
The Expand Appalachia project team partners are Virginia Tech, University of Kentucky Penn State, West Virginia University, Bluefield State University, Marshall Miller & Associates, Bandy Geological, Virginia Department of Energy, Kentucky Geological Survey, Crescent RI, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Gray Energy, Coalfield Strategies and the US Geological Survey.
Source: Virginia Tech