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US Department of Energy awards $10M for critical minerals R&D
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $10 million to seven research and development projects aimed at improving the recovery and refining of critical materials. Led by the Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI Hub), the initiative focuses on rare earth elements, gallium, and copper to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign sources.
Several projects aim to extract gallium from industrial byproducts, including bauxite-alumina processing and zinc refinery residues, to expand supply without requiring new mining operations. Other research includes improving copper extraction from primary sulfides and developing efficient heavy rare earth metal production through molten salt electrolysis.
Participating institutions include Case Western Reserve University, Colorado School of Mines, the University of Arizona, FAST Metals, Indium Corporation, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The DOE continues to monitor critical minerals, which are defined by the Energy Act of 2020 as substances with high supply chain disruption risks that serve essential functions in energy technologies.
Entities
Audrey Robertson · Case Western Reserve University · Colorado School of Mines · Critical Materials Innovation Hub · US Department of Energy
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Research focus areas include rare earth elements, gallium, and copper. mining.com.au · www.mining.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] The funding is led by the Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI Hub). mining.com.au · www.mining.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Energy Act of 2020 defines critical minerals and critical materials based on supply chain risk and essential energy functions. www.barks.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Three projects focus on extracting gallium from existing industrial streams such as bauxite-alumina processing and zinc refinery residues. www.mining.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] The US Department of Energy awarded $10 million to seven projects to accelerate research and development for recovering and refining critical materials. mining.com.au · www.mining.com