METALLIC

Accelerating Critical Minerals and Material Technology Deployment & Innovation

The Minerals to Materials Supply Chain Research Facility (METALLIC) builds upon existing Department of Energy efforts to accelerate the establishment of new, domestic critical minerals and materials (CMM) supply chains.

The NETL led effort brings together the resources of nine national labs to establish METALLIC as the destination to validate, improve, and help commercialize technologies developed by domestic entities, amplifying the impact of the Department of Energy (DOE) and other U.S. government investments. This innovative approach fosters an ecosystem of expertise and capabilities for accelerating and de-risking CMM technology development and commercialization.

Four Centers of Expertise Under One Virtual Roof

METALLIC operations are organized into four centers of expertise, each addressing a different area of the CMM supply chain. Each center focuses on selected activities, including equipment and test-beds for technology testing and validation. These centers are supported by an enabling activities team which underpins all four centers centers. Click on each center and related activity below to learn more.

Center 1: Feedstock Beneficiation

Lead lab: NETL
Co-lead: INL, Berkeley Lab
Key partner labs: ANL, ORNL, PNNL

Focused on identifying and validating the optimal processing steps to prepare materials for critical minerals and materials (CMM) extraction. Activities are grouped into three categories:

Feedstock Characterization and Liberation Analysis
Ore Processing and Optimization
Brine Testbed(s)

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Center 2: Extractions and Separations

Lead lab: ORNL
Co-lead: ANL, INL
Key partner labs: Ames, Berkeley Lab, LLNL, NETL, NLR, PNNL

Focused on maturing new methods to extract and separate critical minerals from feedstocks and leachates. Activities are grouped into three categories:

Testbed for Novel Unit Operations
Solvent Extraction Testbeds
AI-Guided Autonomous Chemistry Testbeds

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Center 3: The Refinery

Lead lab: Ames
Co-lead: NETL, LLNL
Key partner labs: ANL, Berkeley Lab, ORNL

Focused on refining critical materials produced from new feedstocks to support high-purity material supply chains. Activities are grouped into four categories:

Pyrometallurgical
Electrochemical
Advanced Reduction Technologies
Metals Purification

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Center 4: Alloy Development and Advanced Manufacturing (ADAM)

Lead lab: LLNL
Co-lead: PNNL, Ames
Key partner labs: ANL, NETL, NLR, ORNL

Focused on developing new alloys and advanced manufacturing techniques for innovations in critical materials-containing components. Activities are grouped into four categories:

Solid Phase Processing
Advanced Alloy Production
Semiconductor Testbed
Advanced Topology Prototyping

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Enabling Activities Team

Lead lab: NLR
Co-lead: ANL, NETL
Key partner labs: Berkeley Lab

Supports the four centers by providing comprehensive, independent lifecycle analysis (LCA) and technoeconomic analysis (TEA) capabilities, developing data warehouse and interfaces; connecting analysis with experimentation, convening stakeholders, analyzing the state of technology and evaluating Technology Readiness Level (TRL) / Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL).

Work With Us

METALLIC’s focus is grounded in establishing a CMM innovation ecosystem to (1) validate and test technologies, (2) connect technology developers to technology users (and vice versa) and (3) identify pathways for CMM production from new feedstocks. METALLIC is not a funding or a commercialization entity.

To achieve this, METALLIC provides a versatile platform for supporting CMM Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RDD&D) activities across supply chain segments, focusing on technology readiness level (TRL) 4 to 6+ and informed by input from DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) and Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO), and the Critical Materials Collaborative (CMC).

Our primary users and partners include:

Recipients of DOE funding (e.g., Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) awardees)
Industrial entities looking for technology solutions
Innovators and technology developers
Academic institutions and researchers
Projects graduating from other DOE portfolios, such as the Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI)
Other DOE offices
Other agencies (e.g., the Department of War)

METALLIC serves a variety of users, helping them develop solutions to challenges in creating new domestic CMM supply chains and building a foundation for future innovation.