en.Wedoany.com Reported - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation has announced a $134 million allocation to support two demonstration projects aimed at strengthening the domestic rare earth element (REE) supply chain. These projects will recover and refine rare earth elements from tailings, electronic waste, and other scrap materials to validate their commercial viability.
"To achieve energy independence, the United States needs to unlock value from overlooked resources," said Audrey Robertson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the DOE. "By expanding our ability to recover and process rare earth elements from waste, these projects will reduce U.S. reliance on foreign sources and enhance the resilience of our supply chain."
Rare earth elements such as praseodymium, neodymium, terbium, and dysprosium are critical components for advanced manufacturing, defense systems, and high-performance magnets used in power generation and electric motors. The following two projects have been selected for award negotiations:
The Colorado School of Mines will design, build, commission, and operate a rare earth element demonstration facility near an alumina refinery in Gramercy, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. The facility will process "red mud"—a bauxite waste rich in critical minerals—by separating rare earth oxides and refining them into rare earth metals, demonstrating the commercial viability of an integrated domestic rare earth mining, separation, and refining process. The Colorado School of Mines will collaborate with ElementUSA, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Principal Mineral, and Rare Earth Technologies Inc. on this project.
Phoenix Tailings will design, build, commission, and operate a demonstration-scale facility in Ardmore, Oklahoma, to produce high-purity rare earth metals from domestic industrial waste-derived feedstocks. This project will establish a new commercial pathway for domestic heavy rare earth metal production. Phoenix Tailings will collaborate with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on this project.
The DOE Office of Manufacturing Deployment manages this funding opportunity through its Rare Earth Element Demonstration Facility Program, which aims to demonstrate full-scale integrated rare earth mining and separation facilities in the United States. Selection for award negotiations does not represent a DOE commitment to issue an award or provide funding. Before funds are disbursed, the DOE and applicants will undergo a negotiation process, during which the DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason. The DOE's award amount may change based on negotiations.
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