Skip to main content

eNews 2020

Penn State, Colorado School of Mines will support US need for critical minerals

Penn State has entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Colorado School of Mines to establish a collaboration designed to be responsive in supporting the United States’ need for critical minerals.

Minerals are part of virtually every product manufactured in the modern global economy. Critical minerals are those with exceptional economic importance and are found in most electronics today. New technologies are increasingly reliant on specific critical minerals not widely used a few decades ago. Many of these critical minerals are imported and their supply chain is at risk. Their limited availability can have significant consequences on the economic and national security of the United States.

Read more


Texas Mineral Resources Consortium Awarded U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) Grant Targeting the Production of Mixed Rare Earth Oxides From Pennsylvania Coal-Based Resources

Texas Mineral Resources Corp. (“TMRC”), an exploration company which is developing its Round Top heavy rare earth critical minerals project along with its funding and development partner USA Rare Earth LLC,  is pleased to announce that the Department of Energy (“DOE”)’s National Energy Technical Laboratory (“NETL”) has selected a Texas Mineral Resources-led  consortium to receive an award targeting the production of rare earths from Pennsylvania coal byproducts. 

Read more


Energy Fuels & Team from Penn State University Selected by U.S. Department of Energy to Develop Design for the Production of Rare Earth Elements from Coal-Based Resources

Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) ("Energy Fuels" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has been advised by the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") Office of Fossil Energy ("FE") and the National Energy Technology Laboratory ("NETL") of their intent to award a contract to Energy Fuels, working with a team from Penn State, to evaluate and develop a conceptual design to allow for the commercial production of mixed rare earth oxides ("REO") from coal-based resources in an environmentally benign fashion. Furthermore, the DOE has the option to award Energy Fuels a contract for the completion of a feasibility study on this initiative.

Read more


Materia-USA Awarded U.S. Department of Energy Contract for Recovery of Rare Earths & Critical Minerals

Materia-USA, a development incubator for critical mineral projects in the United States, announced today that the company has been awarded a contract with the National Energy Technology Lab under the U.S. Department of Energy for a two-phase project to recover rare earths and critical minerals from an unconventional feedstock, in this case, coal measure underclays in central Pennsylvania. Work will commence on Oct. 1, 2020.

Read more


Rezaee Named Outstanding Young Engineer

Mohammad Rezaee, assistant professor of mining engineering in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, has been awarded the Outstanding Young Engineer Award from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration’s (SME) Mineral and Metallurgical Processing Division.

Read more


Penn State launches Center for Critical Minerals

Edward Steidle, former dean of Penn State’s College of Mineral Industries, the predecessor of the present College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, wrote these visionary words in 1952:

“American industry will be faced not only with a lack of raw materials at home, but also with the difficulty of obtaining supplies abroad.”

Those words still ring true today, and in response, Penn State has launched a new center, the Center for Critical Minerals.

Read more