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.
Engineering
A research team has developed an innovative manufacturing process for permanent magnets that overcomes the limitations of conventional techniques. The team's breakthrough significantly advances the diffusion technology, which ...
Oct 20, 2025
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Energy & Green Tech
Critical minerals are having a moment. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is at the White House to talk up Australia's rich deposits with President Donald Trump. China, which has a global stranglehold on rare earth elements, ...
Oct 20, 2025
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Energy & Green Tech
New research from the University of Michigan and Ford Motor Co. shows that the United States could mine enough graphite to build batteries for electric vehicles and other applications, but economics and geopolitics make it ...
Oct 9, 2025
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Business
Under current supply chain conditions, the United States is on track to fall significantly short of surging demand for three clean energy sources—wind, solar, and battery—due to the scarcity of critical raw materials, ...
Oct 9, 2025
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Business
Scientists at PSI have created a dynamic database for vanadium, an important raw material. This metal has enormous potential for the energy transition. Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) can store electricity for longer ...
Oct 1, 2025
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Energy & Green Tech
You might imagine nuclear power plants as behemoth facilities spanning hundreds of acres. Nuclear microreactors, by contrast, could sit on land the size of a football field and power a whole town.
Sep 22, 2025
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Engineering
Scientists at Oregon State University have taken a big step toward lighting and display technologies that are more energy efficient and better for the planet. The work centers around crystalline, porous materials known as ...
Sep 2, 2025
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61
Energy & Green Tech
From electric cars to artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, the technologies people use every day require a growing need for electricity. In theory, nuclear fusion—a process that fuses atoms together, releasing heat ...
Aug 18, 2025
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98
Energy & Green Tech
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have begun a series of experiments that could result in more energy for the grid by increasing nuclear fuel efficiency. The tests are ...
Aug 14, 2025
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33
Energy & Green Tech
Shortages of certain minerals could limit global climate mitigation strategies, according to research published in Nature Climate Change.
Aug 8, 2025
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