Jennifer M. Granholm Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy | Official Website
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced an allocation of $10.2 million for four projects aimed at advancing cost-effective and environmentally responsible processes to produce and refine critical minerals and materials within the United States. This funding, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is intended to develop new and alternative supplies from domestic resources, thereby reducing dependence on foreign sources.
Critical minerals and materials are essential for manufacturing clean energy technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells. The initiative aligns with President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and aims to support communities historically reliant on mining and energy production by creating well-paying jobs.
“America’s clean energy and manufacturing boom will require large quantities of critical minerals and materials, which is why developing sustainable domestic resources for meeting this demand has become a Biden-Harris Administration priority,” said U.S Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “We are investing in innovative technologies and techniques to protect scarce mineral resources all while enhancing our energy security.”
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that over 95% of the U.S. demand for rare earth elements is met through foreign sources, with more than 50% of most critical minerals also sourced from abroad. At least 12 critical minerals come exclusively from foreign suppliers.
The "Critical Material Innovation, Efficiency, and Alternatives" funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will provide up to $150 million over several project selection rounds to build a secure domestic supply chain from various sources including recycled materials, mine waste, industrial waste, and ore deposits. The initial four projects selected under the “Alternative Materials” category focus on developing alternatives and substitutes for critical minerals:
- Idaho National Laboratory plans to develop a fully domestic decarbonized pathway to manufacture high-purity synthetic graphite from carbon dioxide-based feedstocks.
- Iowa State University aims to integrate copper waste conversion with highly energy-efficient chemical processes for producing hydrogen.
- Pennsylvania State University will research boron nitride's application in semiconductor devices as an alternative to gallium.
- Aspen Aerogels intends to scale up lithium iron phosphate-based battery technology for electric vehicles as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries that rely on nickel and cobalt.
A detailed list of selected projects can be found online. Additional selections under other areas of interest within the FOA are planned.
Selected project teams were required to submit Community Benefits Plans detailing their commitments to job creation, diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and benefits to disadvantaged communities as part of the Justice40 Initiative. This initiative mandates that 40% of certain federal investment benefits flow to marginalized communities burdened by pollution.
Since January 2021, DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has committed approximately $161 million towards projects supporting critical minerals exploration, resource identification, production, and processing in traditional mining communities across the country.
FECM focuses on minimizing environmental impacts while achieving net-zero emissions across the U.S. economy through technologies like carbon capture and storage, hydrogen production with carbon management, methane emissions reduction, and critical minerals production.
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