The overarching vision of this funding opportunity (FOA) is environmentally benign, domestic production of rare earth oxides (REO), rare earth salts (RES) and/or rare earth metals (REM) and critical minerals and Materials (CMM) from unconventional resources, such as coal and coal by-products, at lower cost (e.g., ~20%) than conventional technologies for use in the manufacture of intermediate and/or end-use consumer products, or critical clean energy and/or defense products.

This FOA seeks to competitively solicit and award research and development (R&D) projects that will focus on innovative midstream processing technologies for the purification, recovery, individual separation and reduction to metal(s) of high purity REE and other CMM from coal or coal by-product feedstock materials. Additionally, the innovative midstream separation, purification and reduction to metal(s) processes are required to be environmentally benign and sustainable and have reduced capital costs and/or operating expenses in comparison to commercially available processes. Rare earth metal powder(s) that are produced may be used to produce permanent magnets, or alloys, superalloys and single crystal materials, etc., in the metals industry, while REO/RES and CMM may additionally have the potential to support product development in the catalyst, ceramic and pigment, phosphor, battery and other industries.

The primary focus of this FOA is the extraction, separation, and refining of the following REE and CMM: Dy, Eu, Nd, Tb, Y, Lu, Pr, Sm, Gd, Co, Mn, Ga, Cr, Ge, Li, Nb, Sr, Ti, V, In, Ir, Pt, Ni, graphite, and Sn. Solicited projects are to produce MREO, MRES and/or CMM in currently existing, domestic, small pilot-scale (or larger-scale) facilities using coal-based feedstock, with subsequently improved economic and innovative refining, producing materials for use in industrial and manufacturing applications. Notably, supply of MREO and/or MRES and CMM from coal-based resources is critical to the success of each awarded project.

This FOA includes the following two Topic Areas:

• Topic Area 1: Advanced Process Development for Production of Rare Earth Metals and Co-Production of Critical Minerals and Materials from Coal-Based Resources
• Topic Area 2: Production of Critical Minerals and Materials Excluding Materials Containing Rare Earth Elements from Coal-Based Resources