NETL research focused on finding and characterizing unconventional sources of rare earth elements (REEs) reached a pivotal maturation point this year with the public release of several tools and publications to help stakeholders accelerate next-generation, clean-energy technologies by tapping into a domestic supply of these critical minerals (CMs).

In support of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $32 million for projects that will help build facilities that produce rare earth elements and other critical minerals and materials from domestic coal-based resources.

Creating a net-zero carbon emissions power sector and economy is an immense endeavor that requires a host of intricate technologies and applications, and the CO2-Locate database is a centralized platform that allows users to quickly and accurately obtain the data they need.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced 16 projects across 14 states are set to receive $23.4 million to provide locally-tailored technical assistance and enhanced stakeholder engagement around carbon management technologies. The projects, housed at both universities and private sector companies, aim to connect carbon management developers with local communities to foster collaboration and education toward the advancement of commercial deployment of carbon capture, transport, and storage technologies across the United States.

NETL researchers have developed a biocatalyst with 99% efficiency that can convert carbon dioxide (CO2), a waste product of fossil energy industries that warms the planet and causes climate change, into acetate — an ingredient used in many products like cleaning supplies, textiles, and as a potential feedstock for biofuels.

For his experiences and contributions in geological sciences, NETL’s Hema Siriwardane, Ph.D., was recently inducted as Diplomate of Geotechnical Engineering in the Academy of Geo-Professionals. Hema’s aspiration is to use his experience in geological sciences to realize success in geological carbon storage projects. Being inducted as a Diplomate of Geo-Professionals recognizes geotechnical engineers who have attained advanced expertise and experience, advanced education, and a specialized body of knowledge in geotechnical engineering. 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s NETL and its partner organizations are exploring concentrated solar applications, as well as conversion of waste products into fuels, in a project called “Coal Communities Regional Innovation Cluster (CCRIC)” in West Virginia’s Logan County ─ an effort supported by Congressionally directed funding. NETL engineer Matthew Adams said the project could have implications for communities across the nation.

Supported with funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Instructure Law (BIL), NETL’s development of computational models and software applications are poised to accelerate the commercialization of technologies to safely inject and store hundreds of years of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the subsurface.

NETL is part of an international team at work in Ireland to develop a project to demonstrate the feasibility of district-level hydronic heating using subsurface geothermal energy.

Daniel Boone, James Harrod and George Rogers Clark once explored the wilderness of Kentucky with little more than long rifles and curiosity to find places suitable for new settlements. More than 240 years later, a team of NETL researchers roamed much of the same turf with an array of sophisticated data and equipment to uncover long-abandoned oil and gas wells that could leak methane gas into the atmosphere.