HOUSTON, June 2 (Argus) - The US Department of Energy (DOE) has provided $134 million for two projects to strengthen the domestic supply chain of rare earth elements.
The US Department of Energy stated on June 1 that the Colorado School of Mines and Phoenix Tailings, based in Oklahoma, have been selected for negotiation of the awards. The amount of each award has not been disclosed.
The Colorado School of Mines - St. John's Baptist Parish will design, build, commission and operate a rare earth demonstration facility near the alumina refinery in Grassy Lake, Louisiana. The facility will process the key mineral-rich bauxite waste into separated rare earth oxides and refine them into rare earth metals.
The school will collaborate with partners including ElementUSA, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Principal Minerals and Rare Earth Technologies.
Phoenix Tailings will design, build, commission and operate a demonstration-scale facility to produce high-purity rare earth metals from domestic industrial waste-derived raw materials. The company will collaborate with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The DOE's Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation Office manages this funding through its Rare Earth Elements Demonstration Facilities Program. The amount of the award may change before the results are announced as the DOE and the applicants negotiate.
