DoE’s NETL to build centers to develop critical mineral supply chain

National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), a U.S-based national laboratory under the Department of Energy (DoE) Office of Fossil Energy, is reportedly leading the charge for developing the CM (critical mineral) supply chain of the nation.

According to official sources, NETL will be following an approach that concurrently helps the underserved communities become worthy contributors to the low-carbon energy future of the nation.

The common view was that oil and gas could never be extracted economically from shale, however, the innovations of NETL demonstrated something else.

Burt Thomas, NETL's Technical portfolio lead for critical minerals, said that the firm hopes to unify corresponding approaches and research proficiencies with the long-term goal of building devoted supply chain research centers that are expected to constantly demonstrate-out domestic manufacturing techniques for CMs.

These domestic sources will also offer job prospects that cannot be outsourced in American communities requiring investment. Many of these jobs are expected to be in the nation's historic mining and power communities and will encourage new cleanup programs at legacy mining sites, said Thomas.

NETL is focused on developing the tech for unlocking the alternative sources of critical minerals, just as it headed the development of unconventional energy sources in the United States, which are keeping the gas flow constant in Europe during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

These include several available resources which are often neglected by conventional operators. Coal ash, waste rock, and acid mine waters are not very enticing for the conventional mining industry, but the NETL researchers refer to those as potential gold mines.

NETL has been in sync with the regional teams of researchers across the country via the CORE-CM (Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals) Initiative for U.S. Basins.

With this, the National Lab has taken a major step toward all-inclusive resource assessment technologies by providing a strategic position for developing supply chains locally near unconventional mineral resources.

Source Credit - https://netl.doe.gov/node/11911