The US Department of Energy (DOE) has invested $17m in 14 projects across 11 states aimed at accelerating innovation in critical materials.
These initiatives are focused on enhancing manufacturing for high-impact components and technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells, high-efficiency motor magnets, lithium-ion batteries and power electronics.
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Coordinated through the DOE’s Critical Materials Collaborative, these projects aim to create a robust innovation ecosystem by linking the DOE’s Critical Minerals and Materials portfolio with industry and other sectors.
Among the beneficiaries are the University of Texas at Arlington and Ames National Laboratory, each receiving $1m, ABB receiving $1.5m and Niron Magnetics, which has been granted $2.7m.
Other recipients include Celadyne Technologies, COnovate, Free Form Fibers, Infinite Elements, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Summit Nanotech USA, Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University, University of North Dakota, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
The DOE’s investment is part of a broader government effort to bolster resilient supply chains and tackle challenges across the department’s strategic pillars for Critical Minerals and Materials.
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By GlobalDataThese pillars include diversifying supply, developing alternatives, fostering the circular economy and enhancing materials and manufacturing efficiency.
The selected projects will also prioritise community benefits, aim to reduce the environmental impacts of mining and strengthen the US manufacturing workforce.
They include efforts to use magnets with reduced critical material content, improve processing and manufacturing operations for critical materials, recover materials from scrap and consumer products, and reduce the demand for critical materials in clean energy technologies.
This funding opportunity is supported by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office.
This support extends through each stage of the research, development and demonstration pipeline.
Small-scale demonstrations will focus on critical materials including lithium, nickel, cobalt, rare earth elements and graphite, among others, to de-risk innovations and speed up commercial readiness.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M Granholm said: “DOE is helping reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign supply chains through innovative solutions that will tap domestic sources of the critical materials needed for next-generation technologies.
“These investments – part of our industrial strategy – will keep America’s growing manufacturing industry competitive while delivering economic benefits to communities nationwide.”
