The Center for Critical Minerals (C2M) launched its new website in 2020 to highlight the growing body of research its faculty are doing in the area of critical minerals and to provide technical support to industries in critical mineral project development.
The mission of C2M, established in 2019, is to mitigate the risk that is posed to U.S. national security due to foreign dependence on raw and semi-finished materials for U.S. advanced manufacturing. They do this by developing the science required to establish additional rare earth and critical minerals production capacity in the U.S. and by providing support to industrial partners to commercialize the science and technology for sources of revenue and economic development within the U.S.
“In 2017, the estimated value of total nonfuel mineral production in the United States was $75.2 billion,” said Sarma Pisupati, professor of energy and mineral engineering and chemical engineering and director of C2M. “The U.S. was 100 percent import dependent for twenty-one of the fifty non-fuel mineral commodities.”
These commodities are used in a variety of fields including energy applications such as gas turbines and wind and power systems, defense applications, electronics, and the medical industry.
“Unless action is taken, the U.S. could face an annual shortfall of up to $3.2 billion worth of critical materials,” Pisupati said. “Penn State already has existing capabilities—faculty and facilities—in the areas of geology, geosciences, mining engineering, mineral processing, hydrometallurgy, pyro metallurgy, materials science, fluidization, multiphase reaction kinetics, plant design, and simulation to address this need. Penn State has also already developed a Power and Mineral Industrial Stakeholders Group, which consists of representatives from the entire supply chain of critical minerals.”
Research must be taken to the marketplace and industry knows how to do this the best, Pisupati said. With a unique set of interdisciplinary capabilities, he believes Penn State can become the “go-to” university in critical minerals research and technical support to companies to develop commercial projects for critical materials. Industry working with Penn State in interdisciplinary fields will help them recruit top talent to revitalize domestic mineral industry.
Industrial leaders wishing to collaborate with C2M can find out more information on the website. In addition, student engagement opportunities throughout the research process are also available.
“This research and support for commercialization will aid in indigenous critical materials production that can attract and promote high technology manufacturing within the U.S. for defense, automobile, power, and medical industries,” Pisupati said. “This creates engaged scholarship opportunities for students, trains well-equipped workforce, and broadens employment opportunities for graduates.”
For more information, visit: https://www.c2m.psu.edu/