Overview

• The peer‑reviewed analysis in Science examined 70 elements across 54 active hard‑rock mines and found one year of waste holds enough lithium for about 10 million EVs and enough manganese for roughly 99 million.
• Researchers report that recovering about 1% of byproducts could substantially cut import dependence for most elements, with 4% recovery covering current lithium imports and 90% recovery meeting nearly all critical‑mineral needs.
• The Department of Energy announced nearly $1 billion for unconventional mining efforts, including $250 million for byproduct recovery, and the Pentagon invested $400 million in the operator of the nation’s only rare‑earth metal mine.
• Experts warn current refining is poorly suited to small, complex waste streams and that the capital required for new processing circuits, coupled with uncertain demand, makes deployment difficult for many mines.
• The study flags site‑specific opportunities, highlighting strong germanium potential at the Red Dog mine in Alaska and nickel prospects at the Stillwater and East Boulder mines in Montana.