Critical Materials Innovation Hub News

ORNL: National lab partnership helps launch U.S. lithium supply chain

CMI research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory supported the initial development of work that now is licensed to a company that has launched the first domestic lithium mining project in 50 years.

two people in a laboratory: ORNL’s Parans Paranthaman and Jayanthi Kumar prepare to load an autoclave with lithium brine and sorbent to initiate a hydrothermal reaction for lithium recovery. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Manufacturing Drive: DOE proposes $10M for critical minerals research and development

A media pick-up on the DOE/CMI story of selecting new projects through a competitive open call

DOE’s Critical Materials Innovation Hub Awards $10 Million for Early-Stage Research and Development

The U.S. Department of Energy news of Critical Materials Innovation Hub Awards $10 Million for Early-Stage Research and Development. These are projects selected through a competitive request for proposals.

INL: FORESIGHT: An AI-enabled framework for critical materials supply chain resilience

CMI researchers at Idaho National Laboratory developed a suite of AI-powered tools

CMI researchers at Idaho National Laboratory overcame challenges to strengthen critical material supply chains with the development of FORESIGHT, a suite of AI-powered tools that uses complex analyses of current supply chain variables.

SRNL’s Wellman joins Critical Materials Innovation Hub bringing lab’s expertise and capabilities

CMI welcomes a new member of its executive leadership team: Dawn Wellman, Savannah River National Laboratory, is the CMI Science Integration Lead.

IPR River to River: New documentary highlights critical material recovery efforts in Iowa

CMI technology and a process developed at Ames National Laboratory is the foundation for the commercialization of acid-free dissolution, which is described in a documentary film described in an interview with the researcher, corporation and filmmaker on the Iowa Public Radio show River to River.

Critical Materials Innovation Hub launches collaboration with Amazon

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Ames National Laboratory and the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub announced a new collaboration with Amazon to advance technologies that recover and recycle critical materials, such as battery-grade graphite, and essential minerals that power modern technologies.

Iowa Business Podcast

CMI technology for recovering rare earth elements from electronic waste is licensed to a company in Iowa, which describes the tech and how it is being used.

Ames Lab researchers receive Outstanding Small Research Team Award from Federal Laboratory Consortium

Ames National Laboratory scientists Ikenna Nlebedim and Denis Prodius have been selected to receive a 2026 Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Outstanding Researcher/Small Research Team Award for their pioneering work in developing and transferring a groundbreaking acid‑free rare‑earth recycling technology.

New Midland lithium facility could produce nearly half of US lithium output

CMI scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed six technologies that were licensed to Element3 Resources, which has launched a new facility that can produce a lot of lithium at its new plant in Midland, Texas.