Missouri aims to become mining hub for critical minerals, battery components
Kelly Dereuck, Springfield News-Leader
5 min read
During the supply chain shortages in the pandemic, the nationwide lack of semiconductors and pharmaceuticals led Missouri officials to consider the state’s own ability to produce pivotal parts of the production process.
Missouri has a long history as a mining state, and legislators provided $16 million in funding in the 2024 fiscal year budget to explore the potential of new mining projects.
At the helm of this project is the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, the same town where the state’s geological survey is located. The university’s Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub was selected as one of 31 Tech Hubs across the nation.
“Missouri is a national leader in manufacturing with rich reserves in critical minerals, and we’re proud that Missouri S&T continues to be at the forefront in preparing our state for the demands of tomorrow,” said Gov. Mike Parson in a release. “We appreciate the University of Missouri’s leadership in supporting battery technology and innovative job opportunities for Missourians across the state.”
According to the Missouri Department of Economic Development, which will work with Missouri S&T to disperse funding from the state for the exploratory study, “Missouri was the only recipient of an EDA Tech Hub designation related to critical mineral development and processing.”
Additionally, the state committed almost $100 million to develop an advanced manufacturing prototyping facility to process the critical minerals that will be excavated.
Dr. Kwame Awuah-Offei, a professor of mining engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
“When we applied for the Tech Hub, we were able to show the federal government that Missouri is already investing in this area,” said Dr. Kwame Awuah-Offei, principal investigator of the S&T hub and chair of mining and explosives engineering.
Mining seen as economic opportunity
The significance of this designation comes with the opportunities it presents for the chosen facilities and surrounding areas. As a Tech Hub, the area will foster job growth and economic development through the mining activities and related businesses that are necessary to convert the raw ore into workable materials capable of being used in batteries and other technology.
Additionally, the 31 locations that were chosen as Tech Hubs can now apply for the next phase of the Tech Hubs Program, which looks to invest between $50-$75 million in each of 5-10 designated areas.
Galena, also know as lead, from the Sweetwater Mine in Reynolds County, Missouri.
This program is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, which aims to foster innovation and competition with hopes to position regions of the U.S. for success in global economic activity.
“Next we have to present an implementation plan that says, ‘This is how our area could use the money to develop the area so that it will become globally competitive,” said Awuah-Offei. “They want to invest in parts of the country that can become globally competitive in the particular technology.”
The 14 counties included in S&T’s Tech Hub region include Carter, Crawford, Dent, Howell, Iron, Madison, Oregon, Phelps, Reynolds, Shannon, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Texas and Washington.
“South-central and southeast Missouri are hotbeds for critical minerals, so it’s only fitting to place a hub for research on how to improve critical mineral mining in this region,” said U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, who 8th Congressional District represents the region. “I’ll continue supporting the university’s important work to strengthen our domestic supply chains, create jobs at home, and solve our nation’s critical minerals challenges.”
Officials expect the development of a lithium-ion battery manufacturing supply chain in Missouri to boost the region’s economy by $40 billion over 10 years, requiring an estimated 6,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs when operating at full capacity, with 3,500 of those bringing in new workers.
Sulfidic gabbro (nickel ore) from the Precambrian of Labrador, Canada.
As part of the Tech Hub designation, the university received a $500,000 Strategy Development Grant. This will be used to facilitate greater planning and coordination towards additional economic development in the region.
Another focus of the initiative was to lessen dependence on foreign entities by building up diverse economic regions across the nation that could fill certain needs that are typically met by other countries.
“Whatever we need, we know Missourians can make it, and this Tech Hub will help strengthen our supply chains and lessen our reliance on foreign nations,” Parson said.
Nickel, cobalt and lead in Missouri
Missouri is home to 29 of the 50 critical minerals identified by the U.S. Geological Survey. Specifically, Missouri has large deposits of nickel and cobalt, both essential for lithium ion batteries, and lead, which is used in advanced lead acid batteries.
Lead has been big business in the eastern Ozarks since about 1720. Seen here is the processing plant of the former St. Joe Lead Company – in the heart of the Old Lead Belt at Missouri Mines State Historic Site.
Historically, Missouri was known for its lead production, with the mineral first discovered in what is now Southeast Missouri in the early 1700s by French settlers. Its discovery brought miners and settlers to the area, leading to greater economic development and prominence for the territory.
In 1864, St. Joseph Lead Co. bought 950 acres in Bonne Terre, Mo., operating a massive lead mine that continued production until 1972. The site and others near it has now been converted into a museum and tourist attraction.
Companies already involved in mining these minerals include Doe Run, Caldera Holding and US Strategic Metals, also known as Missouri Cobalt, where former Missouri House Speaker John Diehl serves as vice president and general counsel.
“Missouri Cobalt, or U.S. Strategic Metals is doing reclamation work at the mine in Fredericktown right now, but that mine also has significant cobalt and nickel potential,” Awuah-Offei said. “They have already demonstrated extraction at the pilot scale and are on their way to build full scale plants.”
Skutterudite from Morocco. Skutterudite is another name for cobalt ore.
In fact, researchers found that Missouri has 150,000 megatonnes, or mt, of cobalt and 200,000 mt of nickel waiting to be excavated, but much more could be waiting beneath the surface. In 2022, the U.S. only produced 800 mt of cobalt, meaning that Missouri could become the leading source for the mineral in the country.
“The nature of mining is that you keep finding new things all the time, and so the more exploration you do, the more you tend to find out,” Awuah-Offei said.
