Project Description

The Consortium to Assess Northern Appalachia Resource Yield (CANARY) of CORE-CM for Advanced Materials comprises university, private industry, and state, local, and federal government personnel to evaluate the carbon ore, rare earth element, and critical mineral (CORE-CM) production potential of the Northern Appalachian (NA) basin covering, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. CORE-CM projects will develop and implement strategies that enable each specific U.S. basin to realize its full economic potential for producing REE, CM and high-value, nonfuel, carbon-based products from basin-contained resources. CORE-CM projects will focus on the following six objectives: (1) basinal assessment of CORE-CM resources, (2) basinal strategies for reuse of waste streams, (3) basinal strategies for infrastructure, industries, and businesses, (4) technology assessment, development, and field testing, (5) technology innovation centers, and (6) stakeholder outreach and education. The proposed project will build on prior work by and current expertise of Penn State and other leading research universities and industrial partners, including some who currently own, develop, and operate carbon ore and critical mineral plants in the United States. CANARY will also collaborate with U.S. and state geological surveys and will review the USGS National Geochemical Database, ongoing efforts of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, historic mining and processing sites, and data currently held by the project team members. To identify information gaps, the consortium will use GIS and machine learning applications to map the resource, infrastructure, and market data in consultation with NETL Research and Innovation Center geospatial modeling activities. Research needs and technology gaps will be assessed, and resources targeted for sampling and characterization. This effort will provide a complete Northern Appalachian CORE-CM value chain basinal assessment to enable quick development of commercial projects.

Project Benefits

CANARY will catalyze regional growth and job creation related to CORE-CM as we envision the capability of domestic production of these critical components needed for future development of an advanced, technology-driven society.

Presentations, Papers, and Publications

• Consortium to Assess Northern Appalachian Resource Yield (CANARY) of CORE-CM for Advanced Materials (Oct 2021)
  Kickoff Meeting Presentation

Contact Information