ABSTRACT

The transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy depends on viable long-term supplies of energy metals such as uranium, vanadium, copper, and cobalt. However, producing these metals from domestic sources is becoming more difficult as easy-to-mine deposits are exhausted; what remains are lower-grade ores with complex mineralogy. Current extractive processes are designed for simpler ores and are inefficient, sometimes ineffective, with the more complicated remaining resources. This project will instead develop a geometallurgical approach to mining and extracting energy metals and other critical elements. This consists of tailoring extractive processes to the detailed mineralogy and composition of individual ore zones, enabling more efficient extraction of energy metals and less mine waste. This will help to maintain a sustainable supply of the metals that support low-carbon energy in the future. Ancillary benefits from this project include an education and outreach program that will broaden engagement with mineral resources topics among teachers and the public.


This project will integrate geological data and metallurgical experiments to develop tailored geometallurgical approaches to the extraction of critical energy metals, starting with uranium, vanadium, and cobalt. These metals are vital to low-carbon energy generation and the green economy, but their supply is threatened by low ore deposit grades, complex mineralogy, and gaps in the understanding of how mineral properties control metallurgical behavior. Research will begin with detailed characterization of ore properties and ore mineral distribution in the globally important sediment-hosted ores of U, V, and Co. A series of leaching experiments will illuminate the connections between ore mineral properties (crystallinity, composition) and fluid-mineral reactions, enabling optimized extraction design. The initial results will be used to develop geometallurgical models of optimized extraction parameters for ore zones in the Colorado Plateau U and V deposits, where this approach will be tested. This will reset the traditional paradigm, which compartmentalizes geological from metallurgical insights, and will provide a model for extension to other critical mineral resources worldwide.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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