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
The vision of a U.S. nuclear power renaissance has a blind spot—uranium fuel—in the near term and long, according to a Stanford University-led industry meeting.
Jan 9, 2026
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Business
Rare earth elements are an easy-to-find, hard-to-refine resource critical for everything from magnets and electronics to batteries and catalysts for chemical reactions. Since the 1980s, a race has been on between the United ...
Jan 8, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
Scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have achieved a historic breakthrough in nuclear energy by launching full-scale production of enriched fuel salt for the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment (MCRE)—the world's ...
Dec 22, 2025
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Energy & Green Tech
Across India, battery recycling faces a mixture of challenges and opportunity as it plays an important role in the country's shift to clean power.
Dec 19, 2025
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Energy & Green Tech
Nuclear power is among the cleanest energy sources on Earth, but the materials that fuel it can degrade during operation. A new international study may unlock safer, longer-lasting fuel for the next generation of reactors.
Dec 17, 2025
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Engineering
Safer operation, better fuel efficiency and lower waste mark lead-cooled nuclear power as a potentially dramatic shift from the water-cooled nuclear stations the world has relied on since the mid 20th century. A recent Swedish ...
Dec 11, 2025
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Other
Generative artificial intelligence has become widely accepted as a tool that increases productivity. Yet the technology is far from mature. Large language models advance rapidly from one generation to the next, and experts ...
Dec 10, 2025
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Engineering
Neodymium is a rare-earth element essential for producing the strongest permanent magnets, which are widespread in defense technologies, hard drives, medical imaging devices, electric vehicle motors, wind turbines and more. ...
Dec 3, 2025
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Energy & Green Tech
Crucial for making smartphones, fighter jets and electric cars, "rare earth" metals have become a strategic bargaining chip since main producer China this year introduced restrictions on their exports.
Dec 3, 2025
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Hardware
Recent research from a University of Adelaide academic has outlined the gap between scientific reality and whether a promising technology reaches commercial production. Adjunct Lecturer Dr. Dominic Lane, School of Electrical ...
Nov 25, 2025
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