Energy-relevant Elements Recovery from CO2-reactive Minerals during Carbon Mineralization

Default ARPA-E Project Image

Program:
MINER
Award:
$2,200,000
Location:
Blacksburg, Virginia
Status:
ACTIVE
Project Term:
04/14/2023 - 04/13/2026
Website:

Critical Need:

The U.S. mining industry faces the rapid depletion of high-profit deposits, increased mining and processing costs, and expensive management and accumulation of tailings. These factors result in a reduced return on investment from conventional mining methods. The current global conventional mineral supply also cannot support the U.S. transition to 100% renewable energy. The lack of energy-relevant minerals poses a significant supply chain risk, especially with regard to batteries, renewable generation, and transmission. The U.S. may look toward unconventional minerals (i.e., CO2-reactive minerals) and carbon-negative mining methods to meet the demand.

Project Innovation + Advantages:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) will develop an innovative carbon mineralization/metal extraction technology (CMME) that enables the recovery of energy-relevant elements during direct and indirect carbon mineralization processes. Virginia Tech will introduce an organic phase during the direct carbon mineralization process and in the mineral dissolution step of indirect carbon mineralization process. Energy-relevant elements are purified and separated through advanced separation technologies. Virginia Tech will test the CMME technology on low-grade mafic/ultramafic rocks and allanite ore, which could supply needed reserves of nickel, copper, and rare earth elements. Virginia Tech will construct a pre-pilot system to continuously produce energy-relevant elements with greater than 80% recovery at 0.1 kg per hour.

Potential Impact:

The MINER program aims to use the reactive potential of CO2-reactive ore materials to decrease mineral processing energy and increase the yield of energy-relevant minerals via novel negative emission technologies.

Security:

MINER metrics meet the U.S. need for net-zero, commercial-ready technologies that provide energy-relevant minerals for economic and national security.

Environment:

In addition to demonstrating carbon negativity, the proposed technologies will quantify and reduce our impact on environmental and human health by addressing ecotoxicity, acidification of air, smog, water pollution, and more.

Economy:

MINER metrics specify increasing the yield of energy-relevant minerals by reducing unrecovered energy-relevant minerals in tailings in by 50% compared with state of the art.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Douglas Wicks
Project Contact:
Dr. Wencai Zhang
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
wencaizhang@vt.edu

Partners

Phinix, LLC
Colorado State University
Western Rare Earths
Columbia University
Virginia Department of Energy
Ultool, LLC

Related Projects

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• Harvard University - Developing Advanced NMR Techniques to Predict and Monitor CO2 Storage and Mineralization for Enhanced Mining Exploration and Operation
• Idaho National Laboratory (INL) - Integrated Electro-Hydraulic Fracturing and Real-Time Monitoring for Carbon Negative In-Situ Mining
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• Michigan Technological University (MTU) - Energy Reduction and Improved Critical Mineral Recovery From Low-Grade Disseminated Sulphide Deposits and Mine Tailings
• Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T) - Reduce Comminution Energy and Improve Energy Relevant Mineral Yield Using Carbon-negative Oxalatization Reactions
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) - Supercritical CO2 Based Mining for Carbon-Negative Critical Mineral Recovery
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• Travertine Technologies - Ultramafic Tailings Leaching and Lateritization with Electrolytic Acid Recycling for Critical Metal Recovery and Enhanced Mineral Carbonation
• University of Kentucky - Development of a Carbon-Negative Process for Comminution Energy Reduction and Energy-Relevant Mineral Extraction through Carbon Mineralization and Biological Carbon Fixation
• University of Nevada, Reno - Accelerated Reactive Carbonation Process (ARCP) for Energy Efficient Separation of Rare Earth Minerals
• University of Texas at Arlington (UT Arlington) - RECLAIM: Electrochemical Lithium and Nickel Extraction with Concurrent Carbon Dioxide Mineralization
• University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) - Carbon Negative Reaction-driven Cracking for Enhanced Mineral Recovery: In-Situ Test at a Ni-Co-PGE Deposit
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) - Energy-relevant Elements Recovery from CO2-reactive Minerals during Carbon Mineralization

Release Date:
10/27/2022