Challenges in Mineral and Metal Resources: Permitting regulations are hampering mining operations, leading to raw material deficits.
Current construction for recycling facilities delays the timeline further.
The US faces stiff competition in securing resources from Fast Trade Agreement (FTA) countries.
Aging infrastructure needs replacement while managing the rise in Electric Vehicles (EVs) and their environmental impact.
Potential Solutions: Waste as a Resource: America has significant waste which can be used for raw materials.
Unconventional recovery involves exploring innovative ways to obtain required resources.
Potential unconventional sources include fossil fuel residue, mine tailings, fly ash, and wastewater from oil and gas chains.
Deep-sea mining, phytomining, and space mining are other unconventional methods under consideration.
Government Initiatives: The Department of Energy (DOE) has been proactive in funding research and projects related to resource development and recycling.
DOE's multiple initiatives include the Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) Initiative, and the Earth Mapping Resources (Earth MRI) Initiative.
Investment in start-ups, businesses, and research ventures. Central Appalachia's Potential: Research indicates significant amounts of critical minerals in the coal seams of Central Appalachia.
Existing infrastructure from coal mining could be repurposed for extracting these minerals.
Skilled labor may require additional training to manage new materials.
Platinum Group Metals (PGMs): PGMs are vital for energy sectors, both present and future. Used in catalytic converters, chemical manufacturing, and emerging green technologies.
The decline in demand for certain metals used in ICE vehicles' catalytic converters presents challenges for the supply of iridium. The scarcity of PGMs presents supply risks.
Australia, Canada, and US Geo-data Collaboration: Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative (CMMI): The collaboration aims to understand the potential of critical minerals across the three nations.
Over 40 integrated earth science data layers have been provided. The combined data promotes artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques for mineral exploration.