Science Study Finds US Mine Waste Holds Enough Critical Minerals to Slash Imports

A Treasure Trove of Key Minerals Is Being Wasted in the U.S., Study Claims

There’s enough lithium in one year of U.S. mine waste to power 10 million electric vehicles.

America's mines are literally throwing away critical metals

There’s enough lithium in a year’s worth of waste to produce 10 million EV batteries.

US already has the critical minerals it needs—but they're being thrown away, new analysis shows

All the critical minerals the U.S. needs annually for energy, defense and technology applications are already being mined at existing U.S. facilities, according to a new analysis published in the journal Science.

We could get most metals for clean energy without opening new mines

An analysis of active US mines finds they already collect virtually all of the minerals the country needs for batteries, solar panels and wind turbines – but these critical minerals mostly go to waste

US mines are literally throwing away critical minerals

The United States is home to dozens of active mines. Some extract copper, while others dig for iron. Whatever the resource, however, it usually makes up a small fraction of the rock pulled from the ground. The rest is typically ignored. Wasted. “We’re only producing a few commodities,” said Elizabeth Holley, a professor of mining engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. “The question is: What else is in those rocks?” The answer: a lot.  In a…

Recovering byproducts from U.S. metal mines could reduce need for critical mineral imports

A new statistical analysis of geochemical datasets by Elizabeth Holley and colleagues suggests that the U.S. could reduce its dependence on critical mineral imports by recovering ore byproducts from its active metal mines. Holley et al. conclude that 90% recovery of these byproducts “could meet nearly all U.S. critical mineral needs; one percent recovery would substantially reduce import reliance for most elements evaluated.&rdqu…