Rare earths
48 mines, separation plants, metal makers, and magnet manufacturers, plus U.S. deposits, production, capacities, programs, and policy.
Critical minerals
From deposits in the ground to finished products.
One place for what is actually happening in critical minerals: where the resources are and who mines them; who processes, refines, and manufactures; what governments are funding; which opportunities are open right now; and how policy and trade actions are reshaping supply. Five chains are covered in depth, from rare earths and graphite through gallium, germanium, and lithium. Every fact is dated and linked to its source.
Explore the chains
Graphite
35 facilities across mined-flake and synthetic routes through purification, shaping, graphitization, and anode finishing.
Gallium
18 facilities from byproduct recovery through high-purity metal, precursor chemicals, crystals, and substrates.
Germanium
10 facilities from byproduct recovery through high-purity metal, chemicals, crystals, wafers, and optical materials.
Lithium
67 facilities across hard-rock, brine, clay, and recycling routes through recovery to battery-grade carbonate and hydroxide.
17 funding opportunities
Federal grants, loans, and solicitations for critical minerals — what is open and what came before.
Policy timeline
Dated executive, legislative, and trade actions shaping all five chains.
Briefings
A tonne of lithium carbonate is not a tonne of lithium
Product mass, contained lithium, and lithium-carbonate equivalent answer different questions. Converting between them requires a named compound and a declared basis.
DOE cancelled Anovion’s $117 million graphite award after $13.8 million had gone out the door
The anode graphite startup held a nine-figure federal grant and first position on the tariff petition against its Chinese competition. Between October 2025 and April 2026 it lost both.
The US found Chinese anode graphite dumped and subsidized, then imposed no duties
The active anode material case cleared every step but the last one. It turned on material retardation, a test that asks whether imports are stopping an industry from getting established rather than injuring one that already exists.
National lab capabilities
Ames National Laboratory / Critical Materials Innovation Hub
DOE's lead lab for critical-materials science and home of the Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI), spanning separations chemistry, magnet materials, and recycling. 272 rare-earth publications, patents, and reports are listed below with links to their official OSTI records.
Idaho National Laboratory
INL's rare earth work centers on recovery from unconventional and secondary feedstocks, including bioleaching and e-waste value recovery. 147 documents are listed below with links to their official OSTI records.
NETL / METALLIC
The National Energy Technology Laboratory runs METALLIC and DOE's unconventional-feedstock rare earth programs — coal byproducts, acid mine drainage, and produced waters. 238 documents are listed below with links to their official OSTI records.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
ORNL's separations-science and manufacturing programs cover rare earth solvent extraction, membrane separation, and magnet recycling — the deepest single-lab rare-earth publication corpus among DOE labs. 666 documents are listed below with links to their official OSTI records.
External headlines
News fetch last succeeded more than three days ago. Showing the last good snapshot.
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Japan likely to continue to pay high premium for yttrium through to 2028
Japan is expected to face sustained high costs for yttrium imports through 2028, affecting its position in the rare earth market.
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Myanmar rare earths have become critical to Chinese supply chains
Myanmar's rare earth production has become a vital component of China's domestic supply chains for these critical materials.
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Myanmar urges US rare earth investment push
Myanmar is seeking US investment to develop its rare earth sector, which is currently heavily reliant on and dominated by Chinese interests.
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Pentagon Eyes Unprecedented 75-Year Deal to End China's Rare Earth Stranglehold
The Pentagon is evaluating an unprecedented 75-year agreement aimed at diversifying supply and reducing dependence on China's rare earth production.
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Rare Earths Stay in Focus After China Extends Suspension of Selected Export Controls
China's extension of its suspension on certain rare earth export controls provides a temporary reprieve for international markets monitoring trade restrictions.
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Pricing, financing hinder EU rare earths push as China extends controls pause
European efforts to build independent rare earth supply chains are being hindered by high financing costs and market pricing volatility.
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Apex Critical Metals: 223.3 Metres at 2.52% Rare Earths on the Rift Project
Apex Critical Metals reported drilling results showing high-grade rare earth mineralization at its Rift Project, indicating potential for resource development.
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Myanmar lobbies US to invest in its rare earths sector, dominated by China
Myanmar is lobbying for American investment to counter China's dominance in its local rare earths industry.
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American Rare Earths Issues 7.34 Million Unlisted Options to KMP Under Incentive Scheme on 6 November 2026
American Rare Earths issued over seven million options to key personnel as part of its internal corporate incentive program.
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POSCO Future M reaches a seven-year, 720,000-ton supply agreement with LG Energy Solutin - Expands cooperation to LFP cathode materials, synthetic graphite anode materials, and more
POSCO Future M and LG Energy Solution secured a long-term supply agreement for synthetic graphite anode materials and other battery components.