The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation announced $134 million for two projects that will strengthen domestic supply chains for rare earth elements (REEs). These projects will demonstrate the commercial viability of recovering and refining REEs from unconventional feedstocks, including mine tailings and electronic waste. “To achieve energy independence, the United States needs to find…
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Colorado School of Mines, National Laboratory partner on critical minerals
Colorado School of Mines (Mines) has entered into a strategic agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) to advance critical minerals innovation, commercialization, and workforce development across the full energy and minerals supply chain. The agreement builds on a strong foundation of critical minerals expertise and assets in Golden, Colo., where Mines, NLR and…
Read MoreAclara, Argonne National Lab partnering on AI digital twin
Canadian miner Aclara Resources’ U.S.-based subsidiary, Aclara Technologies, has entered a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to develop an artificial intelligence-enabled digital twin for Aclara’s heavy rare earth separation process. Under the terms of the agreement, the two will leverage Argonne’s SolventX modeling platform alongside Argonne’s advanced computing, process modeling,…
Read MoreBlue Evolution launches Orca Minerals
The new initiative builds on a decade of seaweed infrastructure to deliver mineral sourcing via photosynthetic systems. In response to the growing global urgency around strategic mineral supply, Blue Evolution has launched Orca Minerals: the first U.S.-based platform to deliver regenerative biomining of critical minerals using cultivated seaweed. “Orca’s platform spans both offshore and controlled onshore cultivation, tailored to species,…
Read MoreUSGS tracks nation’s critical materials supply
At the end of 2024, the White House released the first Quadrennial Supply Chain review, detailing supply chains critical for national and economic security, including the U.S. Geological Survey’s accomplishments mapping potential new sources of critical minerals in the U.S. “The U.S. Geological Survey is providing practical, pragmatic science to understand U.S. reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals needed…
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