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New Energy World
New Energy World embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low carbon technologies.
US plans to build first-of-a-kind critical minerals production facility
19/4/2023
News
The US government is investing $16mn to help develop what will be the country’s first critical minerals production facility in a bid to strengthen the nation’s clean energy supply chain and enhance national security by reducing reliance on imports from countries such as China.
Announced by the US Department of Energy (DOE), the funding will support projects in West Virginia and North Dakota that will help underpin the development of a rare earth element and critical minerals extraction and separation refinery. Rare earth elements and other critical minerals and materials are needed for the US to develop its own clean energy technologies that are key to meeting the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of a net zero emissions economy by 2050.
The US currently imports more than 80% of its rare earth elements and critical minerals used in clean energy technologies such as solar panels and wind turbines, and other indispensable products such as smartphones, computers and medical equipment. However, across the country, there are billions of tonnes of coal waste and ash, mine tailings, acid mine drainage and discharged water from mining, energy production and related activities that contain a wide variety of valuable rare earth elements and other critical minerals that could be extracted and used to manufacture such technologies and products in the US, says the DOE.
The $16mn of funding will support phase one of two projects that will investigate how to extract critical minerals from coal mine waste streams.
A study by the University of North Dakota aims to advance technologies that can enable a cost-competitive, environmentally sensitive process to produce rare earth metals and critical minerals from domestic lignite coal waste. Meanwhile, the West Virginia University will study the production of rare earth elements and critical minerals using acid mine drainage and mineral tailings feedstocks with at-source pollution treatment. Intermediate products will be processed to high-purity oxides, salts or metals depending on specific market needs.
Following completion of the studies and a period of technical review, the projects will have the opportunity to apply for further funding for the construction and operation of a demonstration-scale facility.
