The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
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BHP projects copper demand to rise by 1 million tons annually, lining pockets with high prices, but will a short-term deficit hurt mining in the long run? Copper has enjoyed rising prices since 2020, all while miners face rising operating costs and declining ore quality. With new mine construction requiring at minimum a capital-intensive ten-year commitment and existing operations in key copper-producing countries – Latin America, Australia, and Africa – aging, the gre...
With final FEIS from BLM, Nevada lithium mine is 30 days away from completion of federal permitting process. With the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's issuance of a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Rhyolite Ridge mine project about 150 miles southeast of Reno, Nevada, Ioneer Ltd. takes another large step toward its goal of producing enough lithium for nearly 370,000 electric vehicles per year by 2028. As the namesake ingredient in the batteries powering EVs...
Underground mineral source coupled with environmentally responsible processing presents sustainable solution for domestic rare earth production. NioCorp Developments Ltd. plans to recycle post-consumer rare earth permanent magnets and produce commercial-grade magnetic rare earth oxides at its proposed Elk Creek critical minerals project in Nebraska. All of the minerals to be produced at Elk Creek are officially designated as critical to the United States and are essential to...
Milestone event forges Saskatchewan's link in North America's rare earths supply chain. In a milestone event that firmly establishes Saskatchewan as a major link in North America's burgeoning rare earths supply chain, Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has poured the first rare earth metals at its processing facility in Saskatoon, Sask. "The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to support SRC's Rare Earth Processing Facility, making Saskatchewan the first and only...
IDTechEx report examines potential of critical materials recovery from EVs to drive a circular economy by 2045. As the automotive industry shifts toward electrification, recycling end-of-life vehicles is becoming an increasingly important source of critical materials, potentially surpassing traditional mining. According to a recent report by IDTechEx, the recovery of valuable metals from electric vehicle batteries and motors is expected to generate over $100 billion annually...
Uranium exploration at Nichols Ranch reveals strong results, potentially leading to a project restart in 2025. Due to stronger-than-expected results from ongoing exploration, Energy Fuels Inc. is advancing plans to restart its Nichols Ranch uranium project in Wyoming in 2025, enabling the company to bolster domestic uranium production for the clean energy transition. Colorado-based Energy Fuels, which operates the White Mesa Mill in Utah, is already the largest U.S. producer o...
Unique nickel mineralization at Baptiste offers an opportunity to significantly expand North America's battery material supply chain. FPX Nickel Corp. is investigating the potential of building a refinery that could make British Columbia a major source of low-carbon nickel needed for stainless steel and lithium-ion batteries. Last year, the company published results from a pre-feasibility study that outlined the economic and engineering parameters for a mine at its Baptiste...
Awards innovative company $4.2 million to recycle the terbium needed for military and industrial applications from fluorescent lights. Toward achieving its mission to establish reliable and secure supplies of minerals critical to national security, the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Nebraska-based Rare Earth Salts $4.22 million to advance its technology to recover terbium from recycled fluorescent light bulbs. "This award adds a domestic source for one of the most...
After eight years of permitting, U.S. Forest Service issues draft decision for Perpetua's Stibnite Gold project in Idaho. In a move that is being hailed as a win for national security, the economy, and the environment, the U.S. Forest Service says it plans to approve the federal permits needed to develop Stibnite Gold, a mine project in Idaho that will be a significant domestic source of antimony critical to a number of military, high-tech, and consumer goods. "We believe...
Adamas Intelligence forecasts that robotics and advanced air mobility will be large drivers of rare earth magnet demand in the coming years. Pullover electric vehicles, robots are expected to be the biggest driver of demand for magnet rare earths by 2040, according to the latest market outlook by Adamas Intelligence. "From a small demand category today led by industrial and consumer service robots, we forecast that robotics will grow to become the single largest NdFeB...
"Investing in America" agenda is expected to generate $16 billion for onshoring critical minerals, processing and battery tech. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it will be funding over $3 billion to 25 selected projects across 14 states to boost domestic production of batteries and battery materials. The portfolio of selected projects is intended to support projections of over 12,000 battery...
Combining AI with LP-LIBS, DTE's aluminum analysis cuts energy use and boosts efficiency. In the face of surging global demand for aluminum and rising energy costs, an Icelandic company is pioneering a new solution with its real-time melt analysis technology that promises to revolutionize aluminum production by providing immediate insights into molten metal composition, significantly cutting down on energy usage and production times while ensuring higher efficiency and...
Rare Element Resources receives federal authorization and funding to proceed with first-of-its-kind rare earth separation plant. Following a few months of slowed progress due to inflationary pressures pushing the costs to build its rare earths processing and separation demonstration plant above budget, Rare Element Resources Ltd. says the critical minerals facility being installed just outside of Upton, Wyoming, is on track to begin operations by the end of the year. Last...
PyroDelta's thermoelectric device could significantly improve ICE vehicle fuel efficiency by transforming engine heat into electricity. First Tellurium Corp. subsidiary PyroDelta Energy is moving forward with a tellurium-enhanced thermoelectric generator that could significantly improve the gas mileage of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles – a technology that could also be used to increase the range of hybrid cars and EVs. Thermoelectric generators are solid-state devic...
Sibanye-Stillwater gives notice to hundreds of Montana miners as palladium prices collapse. Sibanye-Stillwater, the only platinum and palladium mine in the United States, gave employees a 60-day notice of upcoming layoffs – blaming a loss of more than $350 million since the beginning of 2023 and plummeting metal pricing due to predatory Russian price dumping. The South Africa-based miner expanded in the U.S. through the purchase of Stillwater Mining Company in 2017 for $2.2 b...
Desktop Metal qualifies Continuum Powders' recycled superalloy for additive manufacturing. In a significant step toward advancing sustainable additive manufacturing (AM), Desktop Metal Inc. has qualified Continuum Powders Corp.'s 100% recycled Mar-M247 superalloy for use in its binder jet 3D printers, marking the first time a fully recycled alloy has been approved for the company's metal printing platforms. The adoption of recycled metals in 3D printing has faced significant...
New study upends what scientists thought they knew about why gallium melts in your hand. As a metal that turns to liquid at near room temperature and has the uncanny ability to take on the catalytic properties of other metals, gallium is an enigmatic element that intrigues material scientists. The understanding of why gallium melts at 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit (29.8 degrees Celsius), however, may have been built on a foundation as solid as this strange metal during the midday...
In a Fastmarkets interview, Nevada's Surge Battery Metals chairman discusses the need for transparency. Slackening growth in electric vehicle sales and an oversupply in China's battery capacity are weighing on demand for battery metals. While lithium, cobalt and nickel remain in oversupply, the response from producers cutting output will influence the long term, especially by slowing and halting the promise of U.S. lithium production. Demand will continue to increase over the...
Companies enter into preliminary deal to process Brazilian rare earth carbonates at Ucore's Louisiana SMC. As part of its plan to forge a sturdy rare earth supply chain outside of China, Ucore Rare Metals Inc. has cut a deal for the supply of 3,000 metric tons of total rare earth oxides (TREO) from a future mine at Meteoric Resources' Caldeira project in Brazil. "Ucore is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Meteoric and its world-class Caldeira project as we...
Westinghouse Electric creates LEU+, a middle-ground to more efficient and safer nuclear fuel. Marking a pivotal milestone that aligns with years of United States government planning to secure domestic nuclear energy resources, Westinghouse Electric Company announced that it has produced its first batch of Low Enriched Uranium Plus (LEU+) fuel pellets, a development that not only marks a significant technological achievement but also strengthens America's push to reduce...
Benchmark forecasts that $1.6 trillion for minerals, battery materials, gigafactories, and recycling will be required by 2040. As the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) accelerates the buildout of lithium battery gigafactory capacity in the United States, battery supply chain experts at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimate that at least $1.6 trillion of investment into the battery supply chain is needed to meet demand by 2040 – almost triple the $571 billion estimated to meet d...
DOD awards Electra Battery Materials $20 million to help bring online enough North American cobalt supply for 1 million EV batteries. As part of its mission to shore up reliable and sustainable supply chain minerals and metals critical to America's economy and security, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded Electra Battery Materials Corp. $20 million to complete the construction and commissioning of North America's only refinery capable of producing cobalt sulfate,...
The U.S. relies on imports for 82% of its supply of this strategic mineral; China is the world's largest supplier. In its latest move to tighten controls of critical minerals, China has announced that it is placing state-controlled restrictions on the export of antimony, a vital ingredient in a wide range of household, industrial, high-tech, and military goods. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, American manufacturers use nearly 50 million pounds of antimony each year...
Lithium Nevada receives Department of Defense grant to accelerate the domestic production of battery-grade lithium carbonate. To help meet growing demand for the batteries powering America's energy transition and military hardware, the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Lithium Nevada Corp., a subsidiary of Lithium Americas Corp., $11.8 million to accelerate the extraction and processing of lithium carbonate at its Thacker Pass mine project in Nevada. "It is critical that...
Export-Import Bank of the United States invites USSM to apply for a $400 million loan to develop critical minerals mining, processing, and recycling hub in Missouri. In what is shaping up to be a major boost to its mission to provide the United States with sustainable sources of metals critical to the energy transition, U.S. Strategic Metals (USSM) has been invited to apply for a $400 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) to fund the development...
