A regional technology and innovation hub to develop the minerals and metals needed for the clean energy transition is coming to central and southeast Missouri.
The is led by Missouri University of Science and Technology and focuses on the potential of the state to become a global leader in producing minerals crucial for electrification, like nickel and cobalt, said Principal Investigator and S&T mining professor .
鈥淢issouri is blessed that we have these minerals in our geology,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he second piece of it is Missouri S&T has this high level of expertise in hydrometallurgy and mining and mineral processing.鈥�
The combination of geology and a well-established research university makes the state an attractive place to support companies that will use these minerals to facilitate the energy transition, Awuah-Offei said.
鈥淎ll of these things need batteries and magnets that rely on these same minerals,鈥� he said.
Mines in southeast Missouri, like ones operated by Doe Run, are already producing concentrates that contain significant amounts of cobalt and nickel, Awuah-Offei said. There are with currently operating mines, or ones that could be reopened, that could produce these minerals, he added.
It could also be a chance to clean up the materials left behind from past mining, which contain some critical minerals like nickel, cobalt, zinc, germanium or gallium, Awuah-Offei said.
鈥淭his has already been mined and extracted,鈥� he explained. 鈥淓xcept at the time these metals were not the main focus of those extraction activities.鈥�
Beyond the development of these raw materials, the tech hub proposed by S&T seeks to help establish the processing of them in Missouri specifically, Awuah-Offei said.
鈥淎nd hopefully not only produce cobalt and nickel, but also have companies that are willing to build lithium ion batteries here in Missouri by buying these commodities that we can produce here,鈥� Awuah-Offei said.
It comes at a critical time with the that will support the clean energy transition, said Maurice Muia, founder and CEO of , a Missouri-based startup developing new kinds of power transmission lines.
鈥淭he first state that comes to mind for clean energy is not Missouri,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut when you look at the core things that are needed for a clean energy future, a lot of those products can be found in Missouri or they can be processed in Missouri.鈥�
And for communities like Ironton, Fredericktown, Farmington and others nestled in the surrounding counties where these minerals lie, it鈥檚 an opportunity for economic growth, Muia said.
鈥淭his time I hope we do it responsibly, because we didn鈥檛 do a good job in the past,鈥� he said.
These areas have influence, though, being the source of materials and are now critical, Muia said. They have the power to drive what development looks like and what companies that want to come in must provide back to the area, he added.
鈥淭hat gives communities leverage, they may not want to see pure extraction,鈥� Muia said. 鈥淭hey might want to see some value add. And they should because (that) brings wealth.鈥�
Missouri, especially regions outside of the major population hubs, can become the place where the materials for cleaner energy are extracted and processed and also used in manufacturing facilities, Awuah-Offei said.
鈥淗opefully as a state we can produce an environment that makes it attractive for those that are going to use these products to locate to Missouri as well,鈥� he said.
Muia agrees.
鈥淵ou want to capture as much of the value chain as you possibly can,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he more you do that, the more money is going to circulate in that community.鈥�
The tech hub designation from the Biden administration this week is only the first phase; the application for the more significant implementation award is due in February, Awuah-Offei said.
The hub led by S&T will compete against 30 other hubs including one in Kansas City That second phase will go to .
In S&T鈥檚 case, the university plans to use that funding to build a facility in Rolla that mining companies could use to do testing and research, Awuah-Offei said.
鈥淥ften the issue is you鈥檝e developed something in the lab and you need a way to scale it up to show to investors that it would work at industrial scale,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat need still exists even if we don鈥檛 get phase two.鈥�
