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Critical Minerals Supply

Global supply chain for minerals critical to defense, electronics, and clean energy, covering extraction, processing, and recycling of rare earths and metals.

Current stories

scienceOne report1 publisher

ORNL wins two more years to make bacterial spores pull rare earths from acid mine drainage

Oak Ridge is engineering spore surfaces to bind neodymium and dysprosium in Appalachian mine water, where those metals are dilute. The pilot's main output was the assay needed to tell one engineered design from another.

Publishers:phys.org

Reality

Evidence28
Adoption10
Hype gap+20
Incentives72
Confidence46
scienceOne report1 publisher

NSF backs a diatom-inspired route to the rare earths locked in coal ash

A five-year, $3.3 million project led at Worcester Polytechnic Institute will test whether the biology that builds sea sponge skeletons can break silicon-rich industrial waste apart gently enough to free the minerals inside.

Publishers:sciencedaily.com

Reality

Evidence45
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+35
Incentives70
Confidence50
investOne report1 publisher

Sept. 9 audit seat vote to set Korea Zinc board at 12-7 or 11-8

Two years and more than 30 lawsuits in, the audit committee vote leaves Chairman Choi with a majority either way, which is why the October call option inside the Young Poong-MBK alliance is the term worth reading.

Publishers:en.sedaily.com

Reality

Evidence46
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+24
Incentives78
Confidence54
investOne report1 publisher

Nigeria will pay 70% of the drill bill to pull junior miners into its battery-mineral pitch

The Solid Minerals Development Fund is subsidising exploration to move minerals from about 1% of the economy toward a 3% target set six years ago.

Publishers:semafor.com

Reality

Evidence34
Adoption24
Hype gap+33
Incentives71
Confidence41
scienceOne report1 publisher

Cornell's engineered bacterium strips 75% of the magnesium out of olivine in 15 days

A modified Gluconobacter oxydans releases nickel and cobalt from ultramafic rock while parking carbon in magnesium oxalate, which holds two carbons per magnesium. It is still flask-scale work.

Publishers:phys.org

Reality

Evidence46
Adoption6
Hype gap+24
Incentives62
Confidence44