Selected National Laboratories will accelerate the development of innovative technologies to strengthen the U.S. mining sector
Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation
September 30, 2026
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WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) today selected 17 U.S. National Laboratory projects for $29.5 million in funding to accelerate the development of innovative technologies that expand and improve America’s domestic mining capabilities. In accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, Unleashing American Energy, these projects will reduce dependence on foreign supply chains, bolster national security, and advance the technologies that will establish America’s long‑term energy independence.
“Today’s investment is about unleashing the full innovative power of our National Laboratories,” said Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson. “These projects will advance President Trump’s effort to strengthen domestic mining, protect our supply chains, and ensure the United States leads the world in critical mineral technologies.”
The following National Laboratory projects have been selected for award negotiations:
Magnetoacoustic-Induced Condition of Rare-earth Ores Guided by Computer Vision (MICRO-vision): This project develops a system that gently breaks apart ore using sound and magnetic energy, then uses real‑time imaging to sort out mineral‑rich pieces for processing while sending the rest back for more refining.
Inductive Multiphase Leach-Extract for Rapid Recovery of Copper, Nickel, and Cobalt from Domestic Mine Tailings: This project creates and tests a new, continuous process that uses induction heating to quickly and selectively extract valuable metals like copper, nickel, and cobalt from low‑grade mining waste.
Accelerated At-Mine Processing with Rotating Packed Bed Contactors: This project develops and tests a pilot system that uses advanced rotating‑bed technology and digital modeling to extract rare earth elements from low‑grade materials like coal ash and mine tailings, aiming to produce high‑quality concentrates while cutting costs, chemicals, and waste in half compared with today’s methods.
Electric-Hydraulic Fracturing and Geochemical Optimization for In-Situ Recovery of Critical Minerals: This project develops a method that uses electric‑hydraulic fracturing and customized fluids to unlock hard‑to‑reach critical minerals underground, aiming to prove major boosts in rock permeability and mineral recovery while providing reliable models that reduce risk and support future pilot‑scale operations.
NOREX: Non-Destructive Ore Characterization via Integrated Spectroscopy for Efficient Sorting: This project develops an advanced ore‑sorting system that uses nuclear sensing and AI to directly measure what’s in the rock and sort minerals more efficiently.
Subsurface Electrochemical Ore Leaching (SEOL): Geochemical Optimization for Lithium Recovery from Geologic Clay Deposits: This project advances a new method that uses low‑voltage electrochemical reactions inside fractured clay formations to draw out lithium, using special conductive surfaces and tailored fluids to keep minerals moving and the rock permeable deep underground.
Visualization and Extraction with In-situ Navigation (VEIN): This project creates a real‑time, closed‑loop approach to extracting critical minerals underground by using advanced imaging, monitoring, and predictive modeling to track how fluids move and react so operators can adjust the process on the fly for better results.
Next-Generation Microwave Comminution: This project improves mineral processing by using microwave energy to weaken ore and make minerals easier to extract, supported by new computer models and machine‑learning tools that identify the best microwave settings for improved processing and automated sorting.
Dense Sense: Leveraging DFOS for Real-Time Precision Control of Critical Mineral Extraction In-Situ: This project develops a new fiber‑optic sensing system that provides real‑time insight into how fluids and reactions move underground, helping make in‑situ mineral extraction more cost‑effective.
Reducing Energy Demand in U.S. Sulfide Ore Processing through Advanced Chemical and Comminution Techniques: This project improves metal recovery by tweaking the crushing and leaching steps to stop hard coatings from forming on ore particles, allowing larger particles to dissolve efficiently while saving energy, cutting costs, reducing waste, and fitting easily into existing mining operations.
Millimeter-wave drilling with real-time aerosol laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for precision critical mineral extraction: This project combines high‑power millimeter‑wave drilling with a laser‑based sensing system to instantly analyze rock chemistry without chemicals, using AI to guide more precise exploration for critical minerals.
Mining Autonomous Platform for Prospecting and Ore Discovery (MAP-POD): This project uses a mobile robot equipped with advanced scanners, hyperspectral sensors, and AI to map underground mines and identify minerals in minutes instead of the days or weeks required by manual surveys.
Electromagnetic and Ultrasonic Synergies for Beneficiation: Advancing Resilient and Diverse Domestic Critical Mineral Supply Chains: This project builds a new research framework and database that links how different ores respond to electricity, sound, and fracturing, using advanced testing and modeling tools to improve the recovery and performance of critical mineral processing.
Subsurface Engineered Chemistries for Unconventional Resource Extraction–Critical Minerals (SECURE-CM): This project creates a new in‑situ mining technology that can reshape underground formations to unlock valuable critical minerals at lower cost and with faster permitting.
Zero Waste Bio and Electrochemical Processing of Mine Tailings for Critical Minerals and Structural Materials: This project uses new bio‑based and electrochemical techniques to pull critical minerals from mine tailings while turning leftover materials into useful construction feedstocks and safely treating the remaining waste to support future mining.
Real-Time, AI-Driven, In-Situ Mapping of Metals in Hard Rock Mining: This project creates a real‑time drill‑core analysis system that uses advanced spectroscopy and AI to instantly map underground ore bodies in 3D and spot the subtle mineral patterns that signal richer deposits.
Sourcing Vanadium and Other Critical Materials from Aging Unconventional Oil and Gas Wells: This project aims to boost vanadium and other critical mineral recovery by re‑energizing older wells and testing a simple, low‑toxicity solution that can pull minerals from water, guided by lab studies that mirror how these minerals build up in rocks over time.
CMEI’s Advanced Mining and Mineral Production Technologies Office will fund these selections through its Mine of the Future Initiative.
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