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  • Toy pirate with copper buttons, wire hook and epaulets, recycling symbol on hat.

    Copper pirates leave America in the dark

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 10, 2024

    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...

  • Map of project locations of DOE funding for critical materials in U.S.

    DOE invests in critical materials supply

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 10, 2024

    $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... Full story

  • Illustrated map of Madagascar, uranium yellowcake next to Toliara marked with X.

    Madagascar greenlights rare earth mine

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 9, 2024

    Lifts suspension holding back development at Energy Fuels' Toliara critical minerals project. With approval from the Malagasy Council of Ministers, Energy Fuels, one of the largest uranium producers in the United States, is resuming its Toliara project in southwest Madagascar after a five-year suspension of development. "The lifting of the suspension by the Malagasy Government is a very significant step in the development of the Toliara rare earths, titanium, and zirconium... Full story

  • Hands cupping ash over a background of coal.

    Ash to treasure: REEs found in coal waste

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    Coal ash waste stream might become feedstock for extracting much-needed domestic rare earth elements. The U.S. has relied almost entirely on imports for its supply of rare earth elements (REEs) – nearly 75% of which comes from China, whose geopolitical tensions with the West have put several critical mineral supply chains onto shaky ground. Meanwhile, at a special landfill in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, researchers have discovered massive potential for this suite of elements h...

  • Closeup of the cut-off ends of ten copper wire cables.

    Critical copper bill passes out of House

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    Congressman Ciscomani's bill to include copper and other energy materials on critical minerals list receives strong bipartisan support, Copper is so essential to wiring the energy transition that the World Bank estimates global mining operations will need to produce as much of this ubiquitous metal over the next 25 years as has been mined over the 5,000 years since the dawn of the Bronze Age. Despite the economic and geopolitical implications of a world demanding 1.1 trillion...

  • Two workers drill into the face of underground cobalt mine.

    Electra gets okay to explore Idaho cobalt

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    Receives 10-year federal permit to expand upon deposits within the famed Idaho Cobalt Belt. With a federal 10-year exploration permit in its pocket, Electra Battery Materials Corp. has the flexibility and time to thoroughly evaluate its Idaho Cobalt Belt properties, which host some of the only potential primary sources of cobalt outside the Democratic Republic of Congo. So far, Electra has outlined 4.5 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 0.19% (18.4 million pou...

  • Hand using a magnifying glass to burn a spot on a globe showing Myanmar, China.

    Myanmar REE mining halts, prices soar

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    Half the world's heavy rare earth production grinds to a halt amidst civil war. Myanmar's top exports have long been oil and natural gas, followed by fruits and vegetables, wood, fish, clothing, and rubber. Its main export partnerships are with China, India, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Today, this small country has found itself to be an essential source of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), vital ingredients for the magnets used in electric vehicles a...

  • A conveyor belt with old batteries and other electronics.

    Li-Cycle secures $475M DOE loan for hub

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    Funding to support New York facility to recycle critical battery materials. Amid rising demand for domestic battery recycling solutions, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. has secured a landmark $475 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to advance the development of its Rochester Hub project, a facility poised to become North America's first commercial-scale hydrometallurgical battery materials recovery center. Over the past few years, Li-Cycle has emerged as a leader in...

  • Flags of France, Italy, Canada, Japan, UK, Germany, U.S. in a row.

    US, Allies seek critical mineral standards

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    With ambitious technological and financial cooperation, Western allies could produce enough critical minerals to meet climate goals. In the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, nations quickly discovered the perils of an uneven distribution of production and processing capabilities in the guise of globalization. Phrases like "near-shoring" and "friend-shoring" led discussions of a green economy as remedies to the trade imbalance between the United States and the People's Republic...

  • Arkansas oil well sits idle surrounded by pine trees and blue sky.

    An Arkansas lithium royalty battle brews

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    Tapping the massive underground resource will hinge on landowner royalty agreement. The promise of lithium beneath Arkansas and five neighboring states cannot be overstated. Arkansas' little corner of the Smackover Formation – a massive permeable limestone geological extending from Florida to Texas – was estimated earlier this month by the U.S. Geological Survey to host between five and 19 million tons of lithium reserves. With such a massive lithium discovery and big names ea...

  • Composite photo of Arkansas flag and barrel of white lithium powder.

    Arkansas sits atop a sea of lithium

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    USGS estimates the Smackover Formation under Arkansas hosts enough lithium for more than 625 million EVs. By applying next-generation machine learning to old-fashioned water sampling, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that there is enough lithium dissolved in salty waters beneath Arkansas to keep America supplied with this critical battery metal for decades. Arkansas happens to sit atop a particularly lithium-rich area of the Smackover Formation, the relic of an ancient sea...

  • Up close picture of a Rio Tinto hard hat on the job site.

    Rio Tinto to buy lithium producer Arcadium

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    The proposed $6.7 billion purchase indicates that the global mining giant foresees a lithium market rebound. On Oct. 9, Rio Tinto announced plans to acquire lithium producer Arcadium, boosting Arcadium's value and enhancing Rio Tinto's lithium market exposure, crucial for electric vehicle growth. What does this investment say about the future outlook for the lithium market? Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm has maintained an attitude of "cautious optimism" in interviews,...

  • Night shot of BHP’s Escondida Mine in Chile, one of the largest copper mines.

    Demand and deficit drive up copper price

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    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...

  • White, yellow, black, and grey piles of powdered rare earth elements.

    Wyoming rare earth plant back on track

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    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...

  • A gloved hand installs a processor on a computer’s motherboard.

    China export ban deals blow to US economy

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 3, 2024

    The cutoff of gallium and germanium could send America's GDP plummeting by $3.4 billion; antimony a top concern for the Pentagon. In a move that could deal a multibillion-dollar blow to the American economy and impact the nation's military readiness, China has completely banned the exports of gallium, germanium, antimony, and superhard materials to the United States. Gallium and germanium are essential ingredients for semiconductors used to make computer chips; and antimony... Full story

  • Flag of Norway half-submerged in the ocean.

    Norway reverses deep-sea mining decision

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 2, 2024

    Norway's attempt to open up a U.K.-sized section of Arctic seabed to mineral exploration and potential mining has been halted – for now. Several official studies and commercial forays into deep-sea mining have discovered a wealth of vital energy transition minerals secreted at the bottom of the world's oceans, globally available and hotly contested. Countries large and small are now peering eagerly into the depths of territorial and international waters to find incalculable a... Full story

  • A gloved hand installs a processor on a computer’s motherboard.

    Tech metals bans could cost U.S. billions

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 19, 2024

    USGS estimates that the U.S. economy would take a $2.4 billion hit if China banned exports of gallium and germanium. From household appliances to high-end electronics, gallium and germanium are essential elements to a wide array of products manufactured in the United States. American manufacturers, however, must rely heavily on imports from China for both of these critical minerals. A cutoff of this supply could send America's gross domestic product (GDP) plummeting by $3.4... Full story

  • Rendering of the backside of a silvery metallic robotic hand.

    Soft robotic muscle lifts 1000x own weight

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 12, 2024

    Researchers have engineered a nanomaterial flexed by rare earth magnets that is as soft as skin but strong as steel. The studies of robotics, biomedical engineering, and wearable technology all intersect over the immensely complex task of replicating human musculature – creating materials strong enough to replace or enhance human limbs, flexible and soft enough to manipulate delicate objects or complete precise tasks in everyday life, during space exploration or on a b... Full story

  • African woman mine worker in an orange hard hat and jacket sitting outside.

    Critical Minerals Africa Group is formed

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 11, 2024

    CMAG is on a mission to foster relationships the will unlock Africa's vast critical mineral potential. Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to host nearly one-third of the world's proven critical minerals reserves but has struggled to have its voice heard when it comes to global critical minerals policy and supply chains. The newly launched Critical Minerals Africa Group (CMAG) aims to provide African policymakers, business leaders, and citizens a seat at the table when it comes... Full story

  • Closeup of a metallic gold-colored periodic table entry for nickel.

    Manitoba First Nation buys nickel mine

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 4, 2024

    Norway House Cree Nation acquisition of Minago brings ESG advantages to near-development nickel-PGM project. In a deal that could result in an Indigenous-owned mine delivering energy transition metals into North America's supply chains, the Norway House Cree Nation has acquired the Minago nickel-platinum group metals (PGM) project in Manitoba from Flying Nickel Corp. for nearly C$9 million ($6.5 million). "By taking full control with 100% ownership and management, we can... Full story

  • Rolling hills in China covered in hundreds of solar panels.

    Gallium, titanium could boost solar output

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 25, 2024

    Photovoltaic cells made from the right combination of materials could break through the limited potential of solar power. With today's common commercial and industrial solar cells converting sunlight into energy at a rate of 30-40% maximum, a 60% efficiency power conversion potential is groundbreaking. After 15 years of trial and error, a team of researchers at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain has fabricated an intermediate band (IB) solar cell using gallium... Full story

  • A smartphone displaying the Export-Import Bank of the United States website.

    EXIM offers a $325M loan to Graphite One

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 18, 2024

    The U.S. export bank debt financing will help fund a plant in Ohio that will produce graphite needed for lithium-ion batteries. To help support the establishment of a domestic mine-to-EVs graphite supply chain, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) has invited Graphite One Inc. to apply for a $325 million loan to build its planned advanced anode material (AAM) processing plant in Ohio. "Based on the preliminary information submitted regarding expected U.S.... Full story

  • Photo of a Cadillac Lyriq plugged into a charger in a colorful photo setting.

    GM buys JV stake in Nevada lithium mine

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 16, 2024

    Automaker to invest $625 million for 38% JV interest in Lithium America's Thacker Pass. To help ensure that it has a reliable and Inflation Reduction Act-compliant source of the lithium needed for its growing line of electric vehicles, General Motors has agreed to invest an additional $625 million to acquire a 38% joint venture interest in Lithium Americas Corp.'s Thacker Pass mine and processing plant in northern Nevada. "We're pleased with the significant progress Lithium... Full story

  • Man walking a long corridor between computer banks.

    AI is eating up copper supplies twice over

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 7, 2024

    Building and powering the infrastructure AI requires to operate has already consumed double the gigawatts and may soon tax copper resources exponentially. The need for copper is steadily growing as worldwide urbanization spreads and global superpowers rush to electrify their transportation and energy industries. In addition to physical expansion, the world is also invisibly run on data centers that require vast amounts of copper for both their construction and operation. Hospi... Full story

  • Researcher holding a spoon of graphite battery anode material.

    Fastmarkets launches graphite price scale

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 7, 2024

    New U.S. benchmark to boost market transparency, supporting battery supply chain growth. With lithium batteries forecast to power a sixfold surge in United States graphite demand by 2034, Fastmarkets has launched a new price assessment that aims to provide greater transparency and reliability benchmarks to manufacturers, producers, and investors involved in U.S. graphite. Established over 150 years ago, England-based Fastmarkets has built a reputation for delivering reliable... Full story

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