{"id":1846179,"date":"2023-02-14T09:05:35","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T14:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1846179"},"modified":"2023-02-14T09:10:14","modified_gmt":"2023-02-14T14:10:14","slug":"u-s-begins-to-forge-domestic-rare-earth-supply-chain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-begins-to-forge-domestic-rare-earth-supply-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Begins to Forge Domestic Rare Earth Supply Chain"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-begins-to-forge-domestic-rare-earth-supply-chain%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1846179&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><br \/>\n<h2 class=\"title-alt-01\"><span class=\"font-color-01\">SPECIAL RELEASE: U.S. Begin Forging Rare Earth Supply Chain<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"article-main-img\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nationaldefensemagazine.org\/-\/media\/sites\/magazine\/2023\/02\/screen-shot-20230110-at-104733-am.jpg?h=500&#038;w=878&#038;la=en&#038;hash=C2C96B2E694D65BA73A4E089C9F43E3F\" alt=\"\"   style=\"display:none\"><br \/>\n                                    <span>Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility<\/span>\n                            <\/div>\n<p class=\"photo-credit\">MP Materials photo<\/p>\n<p><em>This is the fourth part of a 5-part report on the state of the defense industrial base. Click\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndia.org\/policy\/publications\/vital-signs\" data-feathr-click-track=\"true\" data-feathr-link-aids=\"[&#039;5b8840a207fd942de868b05d&#039;]\">Here<\/a>\u00a0You can download the entire Vital Signs 2023 report.<\/em><strong><em><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MOUNTAIN PASS, California \u2014 From the smartphone in your pocket to magnets powering a growing number of electric vehicles on the road, rare earth elements are the foundational components for some of the most commonly used technologies today.<\/p>\n<p>But over the last three decades, Beijing has held an iron grip on the world\u2019s supply chain for rare earth elements such that nearly all materials \u2014 no matter where in the world they are mined \u2014 travel to China for refinement before they can be used in technologies.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that the country currently controls almost 60 percent of rare Earth mining operations, more then 85 percent of processing capacity, and more 90 percent of permanent magnetic production.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an issue that poses a vulnerability within the United States\u2019 supply chain and poses potential national security risks, considering Washington\u2019s strained relations with Beijing. Both industry and government will invest in ways to ensure a domestic supply of rare earths as demand for these elements continues to rise.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being classified as \u201crare,\u201d the 17 different elements known as rare earths are relatively abundant in the Earth\u2019s crust. The Biden administration considers them one of the strategic and critical materials and minerals for their use in several modern commercial and defense technologies \u2014 including smartphones, medical equipment and highly specialized magnets used in electric vehicles, jet fighters and drones.<\/p>\n<p>Linda Chrisey is the program manager at Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Because rare earth elements&#8217; chemical properties are almost identical, it can be difficult to separate them and refine them for use in other technologies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo different rare earth elements may be fractions of an angstrom different in diameter \u2014 that means it\u2019s very difficult to separate using physical means. The processes that are used right now \u2026 can be 100 steps,\u201d Chrisey also noted that the process can be extremely expensive and potentially dangerous due to the use of chemicals to separate and purify metals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are all reasons why it has been difficult to sustain that kind of operation in the United States,\u201d She added.<\/p>\n<p>However, on top of a mountain in the Mojave Desert at the United States\u2019 largest rare earth mine, MP Materials is trying to reverse that trend.<\/p>\n<p>MP Materials hopes to be an industry leader because of the size and capabilities of its facilities. \u201cmagnet champion\u201d in the Western Hemisphere, said Matt Sloustcher, MP Materials\u2019 senior vice president of communications and policy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do is build a full magnetic supply chain, and we want to be able to make all the necessary materials and recycle the necessary materials to have that magnetic supply chain,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>Since acquiring the Mountain Pass mine in 2017, MP Materials has revitalized the site\u2019s production of rare earth elements and produces a mixture of rare earth concentrate that contributes around 15 percent of the rare earth minerals consumed each year, according to the United States Geological Survey.<\/p>\n<p>MP Materials will soon no longer need to ship the mixture to China to complete the long process of separating the rare earth elements. The company announced in November, after two years of construction that it is close to opening the Mountain Pass facility for rare earth refinement.<\/p>\n<p>First it must commission assets for the new facility for the second stage of production, which is a process of stress testing the facility\u2019s equipment to ensure it is performing at the rate it was designed for, Sloustcher said during a tour of the ongoing construction at the Mountain Pass mine. He explained that the process would take place in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re months away from producing refined products,\u201d He said. \u201cIt\u2019s really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The second stage involves the drying, roasting, leaching, purifying and purifying of the mixture of rare earth concentrate. The rare earths are then fed into one of the towering tanks that is located in a taller building than an American football pitch. He said that a solvent extraction process is used in these vats to separate the mixture into rare earth oxides.<\/p>\n<p>Although it\u2019s just one refinement facility competing against multiple in China, its opening marks a crucial step in the United States\u2019 effort to address its vulnerable rare earth supply chain. According to a Pentagon press conference, the Department of Defense spent $10 million on the $200 million project in 2020. <\/p>\n<p>MP Materials will focus on refining a compound of neodymium and praseodymium \u2014 one of the most common materials used to make rare earth magnets \u2014 as well as lanthanum and cerium, Sloustcher noted. These elements are classified under the following classifications: \u201clight rare earths.\u201d<br \/>The government is pushing for domestic production. \u201cheavy rare earths,\u201d These are harder to refine, but can also be used to create more specialized magnets. The heavy rare earths dysprosium and terbium are required to make rare Earth permanent magnets that can work at high temperatures. Samarium, on the other hand, is used to produce samarium cobalt magnets which are used in aerospace and defense.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you don\u2019t have separated rare earths domestically, there\u2019s a point of failure in the supply chain for magnets,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n<p>MP Materials was awarded a contract worth $35 million by the Defense Department in February 2022 for the construction of a facility that will process rare earth elements at Mountain Pass Mine. Sloustcher stated that the heavy rare earths would be refined in another building and that the project is only beginning.<\/p>\n<p>To fully domesticate the magnet supply chain, MP Materials also began construction on the United States\u2019 first rare earth magnetics factory in April 2022. According to the company, the facility is located in Fort Worth, Texas and will be capable of producing around 1,000 tons annually of neodymium iron-boron magnets. It will use rare earth elements that were mined at Mountain Pass facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Because the defense market accounts for just a fraction of the United States\u2019 total demand for rare earths \u2014 around five percent \u2014 the company is looking to address needs within the commercial industry first, Sloustcher noted.<\/p>\n<p>As the world electrifies itself with highly specialized machines that require rare earth magnets, demand signals for rare earths will rise. <\/p>\n<p>Adamas Intelligence, an independent research firm, forecasts that the world&#8217;s demand for rare earths oxides will triple from $15 billion in 2020 to $46 million in 2035.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe world is electrifying on every front possible \u2014 electric vehicles, wind turbines, drones, robots, everything,\u201d Sloustcher spoke. \u201cSo the demand picture is very bright, and the supply just isn\u2019t there relative to what most analysts project demand will produce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>MP Materials has already entered an agreement with General Motors to produce rare earth alloys and magnets for the automobile manufacturer\u2019s electric vehicle programs beginning in late 2023, he said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDefense demand alone can\u2019t even stand up a modestly sized magnetics facility,\u201d Sloustcher spoke. \u201cWe want to be able to stand up and be able to supply GM and other companies \u2026 and if we succeed in doing that, defense demand can be satiated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Chrisey and her team at DARPA are researching ways to secure a domestic rare earth supply chain using a different kind of method \u2014 biomining.<\/p>\n<p>Chrisey stated that the Environmental Microbes as a Biological Engineering Resource (EMBER) program, a DARPA initiative, uses microbial and biomolecular engineers techniques to separate and purify rare-earth mixtures, such as the ones found at the Mountain Pass mine. She said that the program was inspired in part by microbes living in volcanic environments and using rare earth elements to survive. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause they were exposed to these extreme environments, they were using the rare earths as cofactors for enzymes and they\u2019ve evolved transport systems to pick the elements up from the environment and bring them into the cell and store them until they were needed,\u201d She explained. \u201cMaybe we can figure out how the cells are doing this and exploit that for our purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>EMBER will make use of biomining to reproduce this naturally occurring phenomenon. Chrisey explained that the technique involves microbes to separate an element from a larger mix. The process isn\u2019t fully developed for rare earths due to \u201cpoor specificity and selectivity of the microbes\u201d The agency stated that the elements were being used.<\/p>\n<p>The program announced in October that it had selected teams from San Diego State University, Battelle Memorial Institute, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to participate at phase one of its four-year program. <\/p>\n<p>Chrisey stated that each team will choose a source material that contains at most eight different rare earth element. Each team will separate and refine each element from the other using different microbes and biomining methods. She said that each group will be using a unique combination from source material, microbes, and biomining.<\/p>\n<p>One team is working with ore from the ground to partially process mineral sources, while another team is focusing on mined waste. While one team is focusing on microbes as they are found naturally in extreme environments, another group is using a different class of microbes that can grow on methane while also feeding on greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re thinking about many different levels and how biology could give an advantage in this overall process,\u201d She spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Chrisey stated that Phase 1 of EMBER will be completed by January 2024. DARPA then will decide whether to continue with the second stage. If it does, then the next phase will concentrate on increasing efficiency and scaling of the separation of rare Earths from source rock, and then phase three, which will culminate in a pilot scale rare earth biomining demonstration.<\/p>\n<p><em><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationaldefensemagazine.org\/articles\/2023\/2\/8\/special-report-annual-survey-shows-growing-worry-over-health-of-industrial-base\" target=\"_blank\" data-feathr-click-track=\"true\" data-feathr-link-aids=\"[&#039;5b8840a207fd942de868b05d&#039;]\">Part 1: Annual Survey Highlights Growing Concerns Over Industrial Base Health<\/a><br \/><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationaldefensemagazine.org\/articles\/2023\/2\/9\/special-report-defense-companies-face-post-pandemic-workforce-shortages\" target=\"_blank\" data-feathr-click-track=\"true\" data-feathr-link-aids=\"[&#039;5b8840a207fd942de868b05d&#039;]\">Part 2: Defense Companies Facing Post-Pandemic Workforce Deficiency<\/a><\/em><br \/><em><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationaldefensemagazine.org\/articles\/2023\/2\/10\/special-report-how-immigration-reforms-can-help-counter-china\" target=\"_blank\">Part 3<\/a><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationaldefensemagazine.org\/articles\/2023\/2\/10\/special-report-how-immigration-reforms-can-help-counter-china\" target=\"_blank\">: How Immigration Reforms Could Help Counter China<\/a><br \/>Part 5: Pentagon makes moves to speed up tech transition &#8211; to follow<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n                                <strong class=\"font-color-01 font-size-02\">Topics:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationaldefensemagazine.org\/articles?Topic={874CD1E9-74FC-48F6-AC11-1FFBE51C38B1}\">Energy<\/a>\n                            <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SPECIAL RELEASE: U.S. Begin Forging Rare Earth Supply Chain Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility MP Materials photo This is the fourth part of a 5-part report on the state of the defense industrial base. Click\u00a0Here\u00a0You can download the entire Vital Signs 2023 report. MOUNTAIN PASS, California \u2014 From the smartphone in your &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1846182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[14261,6436,8437,18578,7685,11410,7238],"class_list":["post-1846179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-chain","tag-domestic","tag-earth","tag-forge","tag-rare","tag-supply","tag-u-s"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1846179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1846179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1846179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1846182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1846179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1846179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1846179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}