The Department of Energy (DOE) has invested over $50 million to support 15 projects focused on materials extraction and engineering to support government initiatives aimed at mitigating supply risks in critical manufacturing efforts.
DOE said Wednesday that the funding opportunity will focus on extracting and processing critical elements such as rare-earth materials for applications such as next-generation magnets, lithium-ion batteries and wind turbine technologies.
The Advanced Manufacturing Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will provide funding for the projects which are meant to support DOE’s push to transition U.S. dependence away from imported materials.
Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, said the investments are meant to fortify the U.S. industrial base by addressing gaps in the domestic supply chain.
The first focus area for the funding initiative will cover four projects on field validation and demonstration. The second track includes 11 projects involving early- to mid-stage research and development on materials extraction, separation and processing techniques.