Funding Notice: Advancing Technology Development for Securing a Domestic Supply of Critical Minerals and Materials (CMM)

Office: Resource Sustainability
FOA number: DE-FOA-0002956
Download the full funding opportunity: NETL eXCHANGE
Funding Amount: $19,500,000

Background Information

On September 26, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), in collaboration with DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), announced up to $19.5 million in federal funding to advance technologies that will help reduce costs for recovering critical minerals and materials from domestic secondary and unconventional sources. The projects will help restore the United States as a world leader in the extraction, separation, and refining of these materials—needed to produce solar panels, wind turbines, and other clean energy technologies, as well as components for defense systems and other electronics—while reducing our reliance on foreign supply chains and helping to advance the Biden-Harris administration’s historic climate agenda.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 95% of the U.S. demand for rare earth elements is met by foreign sources. More than 50% of most critical minerals come from foreign sources, and at least 12 critical minerals come exclusively from foreign sources.

Through this funding opportunity, FECM intends to advance an environmentally and economically secure, diverse, and resilient domestic critical minerals and materials supply chain. Selected projects will expand technology development beyond current portfolio areas to ensure the economic recovery of critical minerals and materials from secondary and unconventional sources, including but not limited to coal, mining and mineral processing waste, acid mine drainage, and produced water from fossil energy and carbon management operations. As a combined collaborative effort, FECM with EERE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office will address production of mixed rare earth oxides or salts from multiple feedstocks including recycled materials.

Eligibility 

Eligible applicants include individuals, institutions of higher education, for- and non-profit organizations, state and local governments, and tribal nations.

Areas of Interest 

This funding opportunity announcement has four areas of interest:

1. Coproduction of Critical Minerals and Materials and Carbon Manufacturing Precursor Materials from Coal, Coal Waste, and Other Unconventional Carbon-based Feedstocks
2. Recovery of Heavy Rare Earth Elements from Secondary and Unconventional Resources
3. Critical Mineral Recovery from Produced Water
4. Process Diversification: Production of Rare Earth Elements from Secondary/Unconventional Resources and Recycled Materials

Funding  

DOE expects to make up to 10 awards between $500,000 and $2.5 million each with a minimum of a 20% cost-sharing from the awardees.

Key Dates

Additional Information

• Download the full funding opportunity on NETL eXCHANGE
• Questions about this FOA? Email [email protected]

Last Updated: September 26, 2024