In the news

Article notes that a new, $67 million DOE award to Colorado School of Mines was not directed toward opening another mine but instead is focused on mine waste processing to recover rare earth elements.

A new $67 million contract to Colorado School of Mines and Texas firm ElementUSA aims to extract up to 1,000 tons of rare earths per year from industrial waste and strengthen the United States’ national critical minerals supply chain.

U.S. Department of Energy has awarded ElementUSA and Colorado School of Mines $67 million in funding to design, construct, commission and operate a rare earth element (REE) facility in Louisiana.

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, co-authors this article noting that the Pentagon’s most promising answer to the munitions crisis requires materials controlled by the adversary it is designed to deter.

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, said energy-hungry AI data centers and a shift in government policy have created demand for the uranium used to fuel nuclear power.

The article notes that Mines is widely regarded as one of the world’s top mining schools and that Mines is developing two new critical minerals research facilities with the U.S. Energy Department.

John Speer, American Bureau of Shipping Endowed Chair for Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, discusses his upcoming term as president of the Association for Iron and Steel Technology.

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, co-authored this article considering the role of scandium in the United States’ defense infrastructure.

Ian Lange, professor of economics and business and Viola Vestal Coulter Chair of Mineral Economics, noted there are alternatives to deep sea mining, including utilizing land-based copper and cobalt mines in the U.S.

Nurses at University of Colorado Hospital performed a graduation ceremony for David Boylan, a chemical engineering major, who was planning to attend commencement ceremonies at Mines before a surprise diagnosis of leukemia less than one week before.

Ian Lange, professor of economics and business and Viola Vestal Coulter Chair of Mineral Economics, questioned whether deep sea mining is the most cost-effective way to obtain critical minerals and rare earth elements.

Thomas Albrecht, University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, says that rather than removing waste from the microreactor onsite, at some point the reactor will be removed and replaced with a new unit so that waste can be processed offsite.