Crabtree's announcement through the DOE's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) recently detailed that $45 million has been awarded in federal funding for six projects to create regional consortia to accelerate the development of critical mineral and materials (CMM) supply chains including novel non-fuel carbon-based products from secondary and unconventional feedstocks.

Realizing the value of secondary and unconventional feedstocks, such as coal and coal by-products, effluent waters from oil and gas development, and acid mine drainage will enable the U.S. to rebuild domestic supply chains for CMM. By focusing on abundant American secondary and unconventional sources, these investments will support dependable and enduring supplies for American manufacturing and production of technologies essential to clean energy and the nation’s defense.

Safeguarding national security

Utah coal seam in core, with yellow material showing high resin content in coal. Credit: Lauren Birgenheier

“DOE is investing in collaborative regional projects to help us realize our nation’s full potential for recovery of these vital resources," continues Crabtree, "while creating high-wage jobs and delivering environmental benefits for communities across the United States.”

The six selected projects will build upon the work of DOE’s Carbon Ore, Rare Earth and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) Initiative, expanding the focus from the basin scale to cover eight regions across the nation. Teams consist of partners such as private industry; universities; local, state, and federal government; local communities; and Tribes and Tribal organizations who will develop and implement strategies that enable each U.S. region to realize its economic critical minerals and materials potential, including valuable non-fuel carbon-based products. Principal investigator Michael Free of the U's Department of Materials Science and Engineering will head up this important work in the Rocky Mountains known as Region 6.

The U.S. depends heavily on foreign sources for critical materials used for many of the electronic devices, vehicles, and clean energy technology we rely on. "There is a corresponding need to produce these critical materials domestically," says Free. "This project is designed to assess potential critical materials resources in locations in the Rocky Mountain Region where mining has or is already taking place with an emphasis on resources related to coal." Formally titled, "Assessment, Characterization, and Planning for Carbon Ore and Critical Minerals/Materials Resources Utilization in the Rocky Mountain Region," the U's plan intends also to evaluate sedimentary-hosted minerals, waste-related materials and other potential value-added materials. 

Resulting data from these assessments and evaluations will be shared through the DOE Energy Data Exchange database to help formulate regional strategies for business commercialization, workforce readiness, technology assessments, stakeholder outreach, energy equity and justice, ongoing energy transformation, and community impacts. A "roadmap" will then be presented for technology innovation centers. 

Portable X-ray fluorescence analysis of a coal sample used to evaluate critical mineral content. Credit: Lauren Birgenheier

Finally, the university's plan is to coordinate  CORE-CM regional research efforts, DOE–NETL working groups, and the Critical Materials Collaborative, a new mode of connection created by the DOE in 2023 to improve and increase communication and coordination among DOE, government agencies and stakeholders working on critical materials projects.

Those regional efforts include previously funded CORE-CM Phase I project leaders from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, University of Wyoming and the U along with the CMM metal ore mining geology expertise of Colorado School of Mines. Free adds that "a regional-scale assessment, sampling and characterization of CMM resource types will contribute datasets to achieve DOE objectives." 

Lauren Birgenheier, team leader and U associate professor in the Department of Geology & Geophysics, explains that “the CORE-CM Phase I project efforts conducted over the past three years provide a solid foundation of CMM resource characterization data across the Rocky Mountain Region that will be built out into a more robust understanding of CMM resource volumes in key prospective geographic areas and geologic settings.” 

Community benefits

An important part of the initiative is to develop a community benefits plan which aims to provide access to project opportunities for people of all backgrounds, forge equitable engagement with disadvantaged communities and foster a teaming partner culture of inclusion.

Funded at  $9,598,204 ($7.5 million from the DOE alone), the selected U-led project anticipates outcomes that include information to help industries and communities to realize the full commercialization opportunities and economic value from a secure, reliable, and sustainable domestic supply of CMM and coal-related materials sourced from Region 6.

Other project partners include 47G,Colorado Geological Survey, Idaho National Lab,  Idaho State Geological Survey, JWP Consulting, Lamar University, Los Alamos National Lab, Montana Technological University, Sandia National Lab, SonoAsh, Utah Geological Survey, Utah State University Eastern and Wolverine Fuels. 

by David Pace

You can read more about the critical materials work in the Mike Free lab here.