The Science Enabling a Steady Supply of Critical Minerals

Critical minerals and materials are the foundation of modern life, found in everything from electronics to medical devices to power grids. Despite the United States possessing geological resources of numerous critical minerals, some essential commodities are only available in difficult-to-access forms. The extraction, separation, and refining processes required to transform these raw materials into refined products are costly, intricate, and energy-intensive.

As such, the term "critical mineral" refers to any non-fuel substance that is vital to the economy, national security, or widely needed due to its vulnerable supply chains.

Examples of critical minerals include elements used in semiconductor manufacturing, such as gallium, arsenic, and indium, and the ingredients in batteries like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. Some critical minerals possess unique properties that make them useful in various applications, including fuel and chemical manufacturing, high-energy lasers, sensors, thermal-barrier coatings, medical imaging, and cancer therapies.

To ensure a robust domestic supply chain for U.S. industries, new technologies and methods are needed to better process conventional sources of critical minerals and tap into unconventional sources, such as lithium-based clays and recycled products. Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) are addressing these challenges by developing tools and techniques that allow industrial partners to identify new sources of critical minerals and efficiently extract and process elements from diverse raw materials.

A primary obstacle to critical materials production in the U.S. is the high costs associated with transforming mined or collected materials into purified products, particularly when dealing with unconventional raw materials. Robert Kostecki, director of Berkeley Lab's Energy Technologies and Systems Division, emphasizes that a dependable domestic supply hinges on breakthrough technologies that can separate, concentrate, and process resources at a globally competitive cost.

Peter Nico, director of the Energy Geosciences Division, highlights the importance of finding new sources of critical minerals and designing and optimizing techniques for extraction and recovery. Berkeley Lab's collaborative approach brings together researchers with diverse scientific expertise to tackle these issues and deliver practical solutions for industry.

Among the research projects underway at Berkeley Lab, several stand out in their potential to accelerate the critical minerals pipeline. Lithium, a crucial component of batteries, is in high demand for various industrial and medical applications. Researchers in Berkeley Lab's Energy Sciences Area (ESA) and Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) have developed a method to extract lithium from spodumene, a mineral rich in lithium, aluminum, and silica.

By mixing spodumene with simple ingredients and baking it at lower temperatures, followed by a water rinse and filtration, they aim to generate high yields while reducing energy consumption and minimizing environmental impact.

In the United States, lithium deposits are primarily found in sedimentary rock forms, but extracting lithium from hectorite, a sedimentary stone containing 7% of the global supply, has been considered uneconomical. A team from Berkeley Lab's Energy Technologies Area (ETA) has developed an electrochemical approach to separate lithium from hectorite by adding black carbon and using an electric current in a water-based solution at room temperature.

This innovative method could be more cost-effective and energy-efficient than current clay extraction techniques, potentially unlocking an enormous, previously untapped resource.