A collaborative effort between NETL, Ramaco Resources and Weir International is poised to transform the way critical minerals (CMs), including rare earth elements (REEs), are located and recovered.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Technology Transitions’ Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF), the partnership will accelerate the commercial application of a NETL-developed technology capable of rapidly pinpointing these vital resources within secondary and unconventional sources, such as coal refuse piles.

The project centers on deploying a cutting-edge machine-learning technology developed by NETL’s Geoscience Artificial Intelligence & Assessment (GAIA) research group under the leadership of Senior Fellow for Computational Science & Engineering Kelly Rose. The technology enables real-time resource detection and quantification at the surface and underground and bridges the gap between research and real-world application.

The work makes the technology more accessible to the commercial sector and provides critical information about CMs and REEs in unconventional feedstocks, guiding more environmentally responsible extraction strategies.

Critical minerals and rare earth elements are essential components in many technologies, from smartphones and electric vehicle batteries to solar panels and computers. These resources are in high demand but often face supply chain vulnerabilities due to limited global availability. Securing access to these materials is crucial for technological advancement and national security.

“In 2018, we started developing what would become the first-ever AI-informed unconventional CM resource forecasting and resource predictive model,” Rose said. “Now, with our partners Weir and Ramaco, we’re putting that technology to work in combination with a second method to accelerate identification and quantification of resource potential. Putting the power of rapid detection and resource prediction in the hands of the commercial sector helps unlock new sources of CMs.”

The project significantly accelerates accessing unconventional CMs by overcoming traditional barriers like slow, expensive lab analysis and limited field data.

The partnership, initiated in 2018, resulted in NETL’s first-ever peer-reviewed, AI-informed unconventional REE and CM resource assessment model that was validated when Ramaco provided strategic samples from its Brook Coal Mine in Sheridan, Wyoming. 

Analysis of core samples from the Brook Mine revealed world-class zones enriched in light REEs (LREES) through heavy REEs (HREEs). In 2023, Ramaco estimated that the Brook Mine contained the largest unconventional deposit of REEs in the United States. 

“This partnership has been pivotal to starting the creation of a new American supply chain for critical minerals, reducing our dependency on foreign sources,” Chairman and CEO of Ramaco Resources Randall Atkins said. “The Brook Mine will be the first new REE mine in the United States in over 70 years, and NETL’s research staff and technology has been fundamental to its development. Everyone on this project is laser-focused on the imperative of ensuring the U.S. has the materials it requires for its economic prosperity and national defense.”

The DOE Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) project is translating the team’s initial efforts into practical solutions for accelerating sustainable resource identification and management, enabling industry to readily assess the quality and availability of CMs through a field and computational combined technology solution. The project is underpinned by NETL’s published models for unconventional CM characterization, quantification and resource models but is elevating them from research tools into a user-friendly and interoperable capability that supports commercial operations and prospecting to inform decision-making.

“With TCF funding, we are combining our proven method of predicting geologic deposits with handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and machine learning for near-real-time characterization of a site’s critical mineral potential,” explained Gabriel Creason, a geo-data scientist at NETL. “We’re integrating XRF data with comprehensive geologic information to achieve far more valuable measurements that can accurately inform the resource potential of the site.”

By combining TCF funding with in-kind data, samples, and expertise from Ramaco and Weir, the researchers demonstrated how to elevate and accelerate the commercial viability of a new technology for national security, economic growth, and sustainability.

The project could revolutionize the development of critical minerals in the United States, transforming underutilized regions into drivers of economic growth and energy production. The Nation currently relies entirely on imports for several critical minerals, including many rare earth elements, posing risks to the stability of essential supply chains for sectors such as advanced manufacturing, defense, energy, and medical technologies.

That project was the subject of a Ramaco/NETL Workshop held in May at NETL in Albany, Oregon. The partners discussed current resource characterization methods, tools, and software along with future opportunities for collaboration.

The TCF is designed to accelerate the transition of energy technologies developed at DOE national laboratories into the commercial market by supporting innovative lab-industry partnerships.

Ramaco Resources is based in Wyoming and combines coal resources with advanced research and modern manufacturing techniques to develop new products from coal, including carbon-fiber parts for vehicles and airplanes, carbon-based building materials, medical technology devices and more. The company focuses on three broad areas: coal to chemicals, coal to carbon fiber and coal to building products.

Weir International, founded in 1936, is a globally recognized consultancy dedicated to providing independent engineering and consulting services to the mining, geology and energy sectors. With more than 85 years of experience, WEIR offers a broad range of services, including geology, engineering, environmental studies and market analysis, serving a diverse clientele from mining companies to financial institutions.

NETL is a DOE national laboratory dedicated to advancing the nation's energy future by creating innovative solutions that strengthen the security, affordability and reliability of energy systems and natural resources. With laboratories in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NETL creates advanced energy technologies that support DOE’s mission while fostering collaborations that will lead to a resilient and abundant energy future for the nation.