The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded funding to the Illinois Rare Earth Novel Extract & Supply (IRENES) project, led by the Illinois State Geological Survey at the Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
This project aims to harness mine waste from the last industrial revolution to create a domestic supply of critical minerals, enhancing the global competitiveness of the United States while addressing mine waste pollution and promoting economic equity. The project will produce critical minerals by completely reclaiming coal mine wastes: all solid materials will be converted to products.
The IRENES project will undertake the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) necessary to establish a fully integrated, vertical supply chain for several critical minerals located entirely within Illinois. The initiative focuses on extracting vital metals such as lithium, scandium, neodymium, and praseodymium, as well as, high-purity dysprosium and various Rare Earth Element (REE) oxides, nickel, zinc, cobalt, manganese, and potentially even high-purity aluminum.
The proposed engineering study envisions two key facilities strategically designed to meet DOE requirements:
1. Extraction and Concentration Facility: Situated proximal to coal waste in southern Illinois, this facility will focus on the extraction and concentration of select critical minerals while converting all solid wastes into geopolymer building products.
2. Purification and Refining Facility: Located at APL Engineered Materials, Inc. in Urbana, Il, this will specialize in refining MREO and producing individual REE oxides and metals through advanced techniques such as electrowinning and metallothermic reduction.
"The IRENES project will use wastes from the last industrial revolution to supply materials for the next industrial revolution while fostering sustainable economic growth in disadvantaged communities," said Charles Bopp, IRENES co-principal investigator.
"We have gathered a team of industry and academic experts and are thrilled to collaborate with respected organizations like the University of Kentucky, Argonne National Laboratory, and our key project partners, including The Process Group, LLC and APL Engineered Materials, to bring this vision to life,” said Jared Freiburg, IRENES principal investigator.
The project not only aims to fortify the domestic supply chain for critical minerals essential for clean technology and renewable energy, but also seeks to address environmental and social concerns by explicitly addressing plant & process safety and also beginning work to understand local communities and community impacts.
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Media contact: Charles Bopp at cbopp2@illinois.edu.
