Case Western Reserve University Leads DOE Project to Boost Domestic Heavy Rare-Earth Production
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) has been selected to lead a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) project aimed at enhancing the domestic production of critical heavy rare-earth metals. This project is part of a $10 million initiative awarded by the DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, administered by the Critical Materials Innovation Hub. The CWRU team, led by Rohan Akolkar, the Milton and Tamar Maltz Professor of Energy Innovation, will utilize the university's patented molten salt electrolysis technology. This process involves using electric current to extract precious ingredients, specifically dysprosium and terbium, from domestically found minerals that contain small quantities of these heavy rare-earth metals. These metals are crucial for manufacturing strong permanent magnets used in military drones, electric vehicles, and other defense and energy applications. Currently, the U.S. relies heavily on overseas production for these critical metals, often through antiquated, ineffici... 
