Missouri’s Role in Critical Minerals and Materials

If there is one thing the last few years have demonstrated to Americans, it's that being overly dependent on foreign sources for goods creates risk. And that risk starts with the raw materials that are essential to our society.

Addressing the U.S. shortage of domestically produced critical minerals¹ and materials, which are the foundation of produced goods, is a challenge the State of Missouri and Doe Run are committed to helping solve.

Raw materials for goods are obtained either through mining or recycling. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the total value of U.S. mined minerals is $98.2 billion, and the value of domestically recycled products is $42 billion.² Doe Run's Missouri operations contribute to both these economic drivers, placing Missouri ninth in the nation for its value of nonfuel minerals.³ While these are impressive numbers, the U.S. remains woefully dependent on imports of critical minerals and materials.

In order to measure its dependence on foreign mineral imports, the USGS published the "2022 Final List of Critical Minerals" in the Federal Register (87 FR 10381). The report shows that the U.S. is 50% or more net import reliant on 51 of 65 nonfuel mineral commodities. China is the primary source for 26 of those mineral commodities followed by Canada with 20.⁴ The U.S. is 100% net import reliant on 15 nonfuel minerals. This is despite its abundant natural resources and the base metals from which many minerals, including battery-critical minerals, are associated.

Missouri is home to 29 of the 50 critical minerals identified by the USGS.⁵ The base minerals Doe Run mines (lead, copper and zinc) typically are the source for 38 other byproduct minerals, including cobalt, nickel and silver. These mineral resources provide Doe Run and Missouri a strategic opportunity to boost the state's position and provide highly valued critical minerals to domestic manufacturers.

In 2023, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) established Missouri's Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy (MC2AE) consortium. Led by Dr. Kwame Awuah-Offei, chair of mining and explosives engineering at Missouri S&T, one of the consortium's first accomplishments was receiving designation as one of 31 U.S. Regional Innovation and Technology Hubs by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration. The consortium received $450K in 2023 to develop a strategic plan, which was submitted in early 2024.

"Missouri is uniquely qualified through its mineral resources, educational institutions and manufacturing base to bridge the gap between critical minerals producers and advanced energy technology manufacturers. Our selection out of nearly 400 applications demonstrates our strength in this area and allows us to compete for Phase 2 of the program in which 5 to 10 recipients will receive $40 million to $70 million."

Doe Run's Role in the Energy Economy

A partner in the MC2AE consortium, Doe Run has a significant role in the energy economy and accessing domestic critical minerals (like zinc, nickel, cobalt, antimony, and tin) that are readily available in our mining and smelting resources and can be recovered through innovative processing technologies, including our advanced hydrometallurgical processes.

Our extensive exploration database contains more than 500,000 core assays collected over the past 65 years of mining and exploration. By analyzing our database, tapping into our geologists' deep knowledge and experience, and utilizing modern machine learning data analysis (a form of artificial intelligence), we have identified high-value mineralization, including cobalt and nickel, often in previously mined areas.

"It is not unusual to find cobalt and nickel in copper ore bodies," Ross Conner, vice president - exploration and strategic planning, stated. "We have long known our copper reserves had such mineralization. We believe we have developed technologies to make processing these minerals economically viable."

Cobalt, like lithium, nickel, manganese, copper, and rare earth elements, is vital to the transition from fossil fuels to stored energy (battery) power and renewable energy. As reported by the International Energy Agency (IEA), "solar photovoltaic plants, windfarms and electric vehicles generally require more minerals to build than fossil fuel-based counterparts. A typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car and an onshore wind plant requires nine times more mineral resources than a gas-fired plant."⁶ When it comes to EV battery power for the drivetrain, cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese and graphite are essential.

Of these minerals, cobalt production is perhaps the most concerning from a social and environmental standpoint. The Democratic Republic of the Congo accounts for about 70% of the global cobalt mine production, often in artisanal mines using child labor and unhealthy conditions. Processing of cobalt to create metal takes place predominately in China. China is also the largest consumer of cobalt, using 80% of the metal in the production of rechargeable batteries.⁷ Having a U.S. source for cobalt would not only provide for greater supply chain security but also support growth in the domestic battery industry.

Nickel is also an important metal in the production of EV batteries and stainless steel. The U.S. is 56% reliant on imports for nickel, which is also on the Critical Minerals List.⁸

"There are many reasons why domestic production and processing of minerals like cobalt and nickel are far more preferential to importing these metals," Conner stated. "From an environmental and social perspective, it is more desirable to produce minerals and metals in places like the U.S., where we have some of the most protective environmental and labor standards. Domestic production also supports national defense.

By supplying critical minerals to our domestic supply chain, we can make Missouri a leading state in the high-value, energy-storage and electrification metals market."

1 The Energy Act of 2020 defines critical minerals as non-fuel minerals vital to the nation's economic or national security.

2 U.S. Geological Survey, 2023, Mineral commodity summaries 2023: U.S. Geological Survey, 210 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2023 page 5.

3 U.S. Geological Survey, 2023, Mineral commodity summaries 2023: U.S. Geological Survey, 210 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2023 Figure 4. page 12.

4 U.S. Geological Survey, 2023, Mineral commodity summaries 2023: U.S. Geological Survey, 210 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2023 pages 6 & 7.

5https://news.mst.edu/2023/10/critical-minerals-expertise-leads-missouri-st-to-be-named-one-of-nations-tech-hubs/

6https://www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in-clean-energy-transitions/executive-summary

7 U.S. Geological Survey, 2023, Mineral commodity summaries 2023: U.S. Geological Survey, 210 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2023 p. 61.

8 U.S. Geological Survey, 2023, Mineral commodity summaries 2023: U.S. Geological Survey, 210 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2023 p.7.

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