Critical mineral supply concerns the identification, extraction, processing, and recycling of materials essential for energy, defense, and high‑technology systems, with particular emphasis on rare earth elements, uranium, lithium, graphite, and related metals. The field examines geological resources, waste and urban mining pathways, nuclear fuel cycle by‑products, and advanced materials development alongside geopolitical dependencies, trade controls, and national strategies. It also addresses supply‑chain vulnerabilities and sustainability constraints that influence low‑carbon energy transitions and long‑term resource security.
Business
As electric vehicle (EV) adoption grows in the United States and globally, the demand for EV batteries and their critical materials—such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite—is expected to surge dramatically. This makes ...
May 21, 2026
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Business
Production of drones and autonomous robots is expected to explode by the late 2030s—by up to 10× for commercial drones and 100× for humanoid and quadruped robots. Publishing in Chem Circularity, researchers estimate how this ...
May 1, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
From cell phones to wind turbines and missile defense systems, modern technologies depend on critical minerals like rare earth elements. As demand grows, researchers are exploring more efficient and adaptable methods to recover ...
Apr 21, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
On many coastlines around the world, piles of discarded oyster and mussel shells are a common sight—the leftovers of a global seafood industry that produces millions of tonnes of waste each year. At the same time, hidden ...
Apr 15, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
Aside from oil, rare earth elements may be the most buzzworthy thing coming out of the ground these days. Headlines trumpet news about new partnerships to produce rare earths, warn of potential shortages and analyze steps ...
Mar 29, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
Demand for copper is surging because of demand from new technologies, but suppliers are struggling to keep up, and they are likely to fall further behind in the coming years, resulting in shortfalls globally. Even though ...
Mar 22, 2026
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Engineering
There is a new, U.S.-based, environmentally friendly method for mining rare-earth elements used in consumer electronics, clean energy, defense and biomedical imaging. By using oxalic acid made by sugar-eating engineered yeast, ...
Mar 16, 2026
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Business
New research suggests that concerns about relying too heavily on Chinese manufacturing are shaping climate policy—and could even delay the adoption of green technologies around the world. The study by Dr. James Jackson from ...
Mar 12, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
ANSTO has made progress on a more cost-effective way to produce the medical radioisotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), with less enrichment of uranium-235 (U-235) and producing less waste. ANSTO supplies the Australian medical community ...
Feb 25, 2026
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Business
Inside America's junk drawers sits an untapped fortune, and a national and economic security solution. As the global race for critical minerals intensifies, University of Houston researchers have unveiled a breakthrough supply ...
Feb 24, 2026
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