SEQUIM — The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will receive $1.35 million in federal funding to spearhead extraction of critical minerals for energy applications.
PNNL-Sequim is set to receive funding through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Critical Mineral Extraction from Ocean Macroalgal Biomass Exploratory Topic.
The Sequim lab will evaluate the feasibility of extracting Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) from macroalgae for use in energy applications, said Rep. Derek Kilmer, a Democrat living in Gig Harbor who represents the 6th Congressional District, in a press release announcing the funding.
REEs are essential for manufacturing high-efficiency electric motors and generators. PGMs play a pivotal role in technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, such as hydrogen production through water electrolysis, energy generation in fuel cells, and catalysis in industrial chemical processes.
“The pioneering efforts at PNNL-Sequim to extract critical minerals from macroalgae represent a significant leap forward in our quest for sustainable energy solutions and a carbon-neutral future,” Kilmer said in the release.
“This investment is a testament to our commitment to innovative research that can lead to groundbreaking advancements in energy technologies,” he added. “The Sequim Lab is a unique asset for both the Energy Department and for our region’s economy.
“I’ll keep working to support its mission.”
The lab will study methods to efficiently extract REEs and PGMs from hyper-accumulating species of marine macroalgae.
Extraction methods also will re-utilize chemical extractants and retain the value of the algae for other purposes such as biofuels and other industrial feedstocks, resulting in minimal tailings, according to the project description on the website at ARPA-E.
“We know we need different sets of critical mineral supply chains to reach President Biden’s ambitious clean energy and decarbonization targets,” said ARPA-E Director Evelyn N. Wang.
“The teams announced today are up for the challenge of exploring the environmental, temporal, and ecological factors that influence the content of REEs and PGMs in macroalgae, and then developing methods to extract these critical minerals. I’m glad these teams are joining ARPA-E’s strong ocean portfolio, and I look forward to seeing the technologies they develop.”
The PNNL-Sequim campus houses the only marine research facilities in the U.S. Department of Energy complex.
For more about the lab, see https://www.pnnl.gov/pnnl-sequim.
