The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation has committed US$134 million ($186.78 million) towards two projects aimed at strengthening domestic US rare earths supply chains.
These projects are slated to confirm the commercial viability for recovery and refining of rare earth elements (REEs) from unconventional feedstocks, such as mine tailings, electronic waste, and other waste materials.
The two selected projects are being run by the Colorado School of Mines and by Phoenix Tailings.
The project by the Colorado School of Mines involves the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of an REE demonstration facility near the Gramercy alumina refinery in Louisiana.
The facility will process “red mud”, a critical mineral-rich bauxite waste product. This involves separating rare earth oxides and refining them into rare earth metals, demonstrating the commercial pipeline of the process.
The Colorado School of Mines is partnering with ElementUSA, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Principal Mineral, and Rare Earth Technologies for its project.
The second project is with Phoenix Tailings, which will see the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of a demonstration-scale facility that will produce high-purity rare earth metals from industrial waste-derived feedstocks.
The process will prove a commercial path for domestic production of heavy rare earth metals.
Phoenix Tailings is undertaking its project in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Minnesota.
Speaking on this announcement, Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson says that as the US strives for energy independence, they must “find value in overlooked resources”.
“By expanding our capabilities to recover and process rare earth elements from waste products, these projects will reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources and improve the resilience of our supply chains,” Robertson says.
Funding is being managed through the DOE’s Manufacturing Deployment Office, which is focused on developing full-scale integrated rare earth facilities in the US.
Write to Amy Rotman at Mining.com.au
Images: US Department of Energy
