The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 692
Muskogee Oklahoma facility will produce enough battery-grade lithium for 1 million EVs annually. On Jan. 22, Stardust Power Inc. broke ground on its lithium refinery in Muskogee, Okla., marking a critical milestone in the U.S. energy transition and reinforcing Oklahoma's literal and figurative position at the center of the nation's critical mineral supply chains. "Stardust Power's decision to break ground on its lithium refinery in Muskogee is a significant step forward for... Full story
MP Materials begins commercial NdPr metal and early rare earth magnet production in the U.S. With the start of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) metal production at its Independence plant in Fort Worth, Texas, MP Materials has forged a critical link to an all-American mine-to-magnets rare earth supply chain that connects its Mountain Pass Mine in California to garages, homes, businesses, and industries across the United States. "This milestone marks a major step forward in... Full story
While most suspect a resource grab for oil and natural gas, undeveloped minerals that could support the green energy transition are also falling under Putin's hand. In July 2021, Ukraine and the European Union (EU) signed a Memorandum on Strategic Partnership in Raw Materials. Such agreements were also signed with Canada that year and with Kazakhstan and Namibia in 2022, with many more to follow as Western democracies have been investing in renewable energy and sustainable... Full story
Ten teams recognized for groundbreaking solutions to reclaim critical materials. With potential billions of dollars in critical materials lost in discarded electronics each year, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced the first winners of its $4 million E-SCRAP competition, recognizing innovations that transform e-waste into a valuable resource for supply chains and sustainability. First announced in March, DOE saw the immense potential of recovering valuable and... Full story
New NMPP Report outlines strategies to counter disruptions in critical mineral markets, secure supply chains, and advance sustainability. In a landmark initiative to bolster transparency and sustainability in critical mineral markets, a joint report from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries examines the disruptive effects of non-market policies and practices, with a particular focus on vulnerabilities in the supply... Full story
Samsung's oxide-based battery with record-busting energy density is on time for mass production this year. In a move to stay ahead in the battery technology race, Samsung launched into solid-state battery chemistry and production research in 2020 with confident targets set, initially projecting the debut of its first prototypes by 2025 and their subsequent integration into electric vehicles by 2027. All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) have a solid electrolyte instead of the liqu... Full story
Backed by $28.5 million in federal funding, Missouri S&T's Tech Hub is positioned to transform the U.S. critical minerals supply chain. From pioneering innovative techniques for recovering rare metals from mining waste to shaping the next generation of battery materials and sustainable mining practices, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is solidifying its reputation as a national leader in critical minerals research with the recent announcement of... Full story
DOD says new fire suppressant foam enhanced with Alaska graphite is "revolutionizing" firefighting. While Graphite One Inc.'s primary focus is on establishing an all-American supply chain that will provide automakers with an alternative to China for the graphite anode material for electric vehicle batteries, the mining and tech company is also supporting the development of graphite-enhanced fire suppressant foam that safeguards firefighters in the U.S. military and across the... Full story
USA Rare Earths produces first batch of critical REE magnets at its Innovations Lab in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Crossing a major milestone on the path to breaking America's reliance on China for an essential component of electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics and military technologies, USA Rare Earth LLC (USARE) has produced its first batch of rare earth magnets at its Innovations Lab in Oklahoma. "Our new Innovations Lab, which we will finish building out in the coming month... Full story
Days before Trump's inauguration, proposed Chinese export restrictions target processes for battery components, critical mineral extraction and refinement. Critical mineral processing and battery tech exports from China appear to be the next casualty in a burgeoning trade war between Washington and Beijing, key players in the global economy with opposing views and a worldwide net-zero emissions goal in the balance. Earlier this month, China's Ministry of Commerce proposed... Full story
Invests $45 million for regional Carbon Ore, Rare Earth and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) assessment across the nation. To help break America's reliance on imports for many of the minerals critical to the nation's economy and security, the U.S. Department of Energy is investing $45 million into six regional projects from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest to the Appalachian Mountain region near the Atlantic coast. "Rebuilding a domestic supply chain for critical minerals and... Full story
New Supply Chain Resiliency Initiative aims to break America's reliance on China for minerals essential to transformative technologies. As the Chinese government brandishes its dominance over critical mineral supply chains as a weapon in an escalating trade war with the U.S., the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is equipping critical minerals suppliers outside of the People's Republic of China (PRC) with a powerful new financing tool aimed at leveling the... Full story
Northern Nevada lithium project co-owned by GM now hosts enough reserves for 85 years of mining. Lithium Americas and General Motors' Thacker Pass Mine project in Nevada now hosts enough reserves to supply the lithium needed for the batteries to power more than 250 million electric vehicles over the next 85 years. Lithium America President and CEO Jonathan Evans says a new reserve calculation and supporting technical report detailing the plans for an initial 25 years of... Full story
Receives funding to help build sustainable US rare earth supply chain. Backing from BMW i Ventures is allowing Phoenix Tailings to recover 200 metric tons of rare earth metals like neodymium and dysprosium from mine tailings annually, advancing sustainable technology and strengthening U.S. supplies. Working to unlock the immense potential hidden within mine tailings and other waste byproducts, Phoenix Tailings has grown from a backyard project in Cambridge, Massachusetts, into... Full story
After eight years of permitting, Perpetua Resources receives major federal authorizations needed to develop Stibnite Mine. "We Did It!" Perpetua Resources Corp.'s three-word response to the U.S. Forest Service's authorization of its plan to build and operate the Stibnite Mine underscores both the significance of this major milestone for gold-antimony project in Idaho and the excitement of finally reaching the finish line after nearly a decade of federal permitting process for... Full story
DOD and NRCan invest in advancing Fireweed Metals' Mactung mine project, supporting North America's critical mineral needs. In a strategic bid to establish secure and reliable North American supplies of minerals critical to defense and the broader economy, the U.S. Department of Defense and Canadian government are jointly investing up to US$27.3 million (C$35.4 million) to aid Fireweed Metals Corp. in advancing the Mactung tungsten mine project in eastern Yukon toward a final...
Innovative mining company explores potential of recovering tech metal from aluminum plant in Quebec; province backs endeavor. In a move that could help fill the gap in supply left by China's ban on exports of gallium to the United States, Rio Tinto is investigating the potential of recovering this high-tech metal needed for computer chip manufacturing from its aluminum operations in Quebec. ''This new research and development project is destined to help strengthen the North Am...
Mozambique unrest forces Australian company to declare force majeure at graphite mine backed by the U.S. government. The Biden administration's bet on friendshoring graphite for electric vehicle batteries from a mine in Africa suffered a major blow with Syrah Resources Ltd.'s Dec. 12 declaration of force majeure for its Balama graphite mine in Mozambique and a notice that it will default on more than $250 million in loans from United States government agencies. The...
China export bans underscore lack of national reserves; The Oregon Group points out upsides and downsides to rebuilding stockpiles. Above and beyond exposing America's lack of critical minerals mining and processing, China's ban on the exports of antimony, gallium, and germanium shines a spotlight on the near depletion of national reserves of mined commodities vital to the nation's economy and security. Critical minerals and energy analysts at The Oregon Group point out that... Full story
Recycled copper and aluminum raw material imports get a break to go green. Chinese import tariffs on certain recycled copper and aluminum raw materials will be reduced effective Jan. 1, the government said last weekend. Lower provisional tariffs will also be implemented for ethane, cycloolefin polymers and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, which are basic materials used by the petrochemical industry. "These tariff cuts will effectively reduce the production costs of... Full story
Los Alamos National Lab blasts runaway electrons with tungsten particles to prevent fusion damage. Harnessing the energy of stars is no simple feat – scientists have been "20 years away" from the successful attainment of sustained nuclear fusion for more than five decades. A Los Alamos National Laboratory discovery that utilizes a "tungsten shotgun" to neutralize destructive instability in fusion reactors may be the key to finally hitting that moving target, bringing the p... Full story
Funds six firms to build domestic nuclear fuel supply. In a decisive move to bolster America's nuclear energy capabilities, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced contracts with six companies to develop domestic low enriched uranium (LEU) production, strengthening supply chains for the nation's existing and next-generation reactors. Prioritizing the development of an LEU supply chain, DOE has made this effort central to its energy security strategy, a necessity...
$17M in funding supports innovation to bolster domestic resource recovery. To address vulnerabilities in the global supply chain for critical materials, the U.S. Department of Energy is awarding $17 million for 14 projects aimed at advancing domestic production and recovery of essential resources needed for next-generation technologies. Rising geopolitical tensions and tightening trade policies have exposed the fragility of global supply chains for critical materials such as...
Perpetua and United States Antimony take first step into connecting links in Idaho and Montana. United States Antimony Corp. and Perpetua Resources Corp., companies at the vanguard of breaking America's heavy reliance on imports for antimony, are investigating the potential of integrating their expertise to establish an antimony supply chain in Idaho and Montana. Antimony has long been on the list of minerals deemed critical to the U.S. and is of high strategic importance to...
Leaving cities dark and businesses in ruin, the skyrocketing demand for recycled copper has a seedy underbelly. The Upper Midwest Chapter of Recycled Materials Association (ReMA), a trade group representing scrap metal workers, has sued the Minnesota Department of Commerce, alleging that a new law imposing a $250 license fee involving copper recyclers meant as a "barrier to entry" could hinder the majority of recycling efforts without deterring copper wire thieves. The Copper...
