Funding Part of Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Program Seeking to Develop Sustainable Supply of Minerals
Woburn, MA – Phoenix Tailings, a Massachusetts-based critical materials extraction and refining startup, today announced it will receive $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to extract nickel and magnesium from mining waste using carbon negative technology. These metals are crucial to the production of the batteries that fuel cars, computers and phones using a zero-emissions process.
Phoenix Tailings was one of 16 projects across the country to receive the funding as part of the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) program, which aims to develop market-ready technologies that will increase domestic supplies of critical elements required for the clean energy transition.
“Think about all the products we use that rely on batteries — from computers to EVs to tactical weapons systems. We depend on the metals that make up these batteries, but rarely think about the environmental impacts of producing them,” said Phoenix Tailings Co-Founder Anthony Balladon. “At Phoenix Tailings we have found a carbon negative way to recover nickel from mining waste, or tailings. We are grateful for the ARPA-E funding to help propel this project forward and ensure there’s a sustainable way to create these metals without producing harmful byproducts.”
The funding will support Phoenix Tailings’ work to extract nickel and magnesium from mining tailings through a process that uses carbonization and recycled carbon dioxide. The process, which is carbon negative, generates high-purity nickel oxide and magnesium carbonate. Nickel and magnesium are critical in the production of batteries.
“A reliable, sustainable domestic supply chain of critical materials that power longer-lasting batteries and other next-generation energy technologies is crucial to reaching our clean energy future,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “With these investments, DOE is helping to reinvigorate American manufacturing to reduce our overreliance on adversarial nations and position the nation as a global leader of research and innovation.”
To learn more about the innovative work Phoenix Tailings is doing, you can check out this informational video.
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About Phoenix Tailings: Phoenix Tailings is a Massachusetts-based startup powering sustainable manufacturing by refining rare earth metals and other critical materials from mining waste using a proprietary process with zero direct carbon emissions and zero toxic byproducts. It is the only company currently producing neodymium, a key component for magnets, here in the United States.
Media Contact: media@phoenixtailings.com