Cooperative Agreement 2527909
- This National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award to Reegen Inc. for $275,000 will support the development of a clean, biological system for extracting and purifying rare earth elements (REEs) from various waste and end-of-life sources. The project aims to reduce the negative environmental impacts of REE production and decrease U.S. dependence on imported REEs, which are critical for manufacturing modern electronics and sustainable energy...
- This $1,000,000 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will support the development of a novel "REESPECT" (Rare Earth Element-Selective Protein-Hydrogels to Enable Cation Trapping) platform for efficient and selective extraction and separation of rare earth elements (REEs) from recycling feedstocks. The research, led by the University of Pennsylvania, aims to create hydrogel materials containing engineered protein fibrils with...
- This $289,851 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Integrative Activities (IA) program supports research at the University of Delaware that aims to develop new pathways for the recovery and recycling of rare-earth elements (REEs). The project focuses on investigating the formation and properties of high-temperature REE-sulfate liquids, with the goal of advancing alternative REE extraction and separation technologies that could enable more circular manufacturing...
- This $275,999 National Science Foundation Project Grant supports the development of an environmentally friendly rare earth element extraction process from recycled fluorescent light bulb powder. The awardee, IM Technologies LLC, will engineer a prototype reactor system that uses precision ultra-high temperature heating to evaporate and subsequently condense targeted rare earth constituents from light bulb waste. Research tasks include optimizing thermal energy applications to efficiently extract...
- This SBIR Phase I project, awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program, aims to develop a novel molten salt electrolysis process for manufacturing the rare earth metal neodymium. The proposed technology is intended to disrupt the current dominant oxyfluoride process, which relies on pollution-intensive methods. The project aims to create a more environmentally-friendly and cost-competitive alternative for producing...
- The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $1,000,000 Project Grant under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to Trustees of Tufts College, doing business as Tufts University, for a project titled "RAISE: CET: ZWITTERIONIC MEMBRANES FOR RARE EARTH ELEMENT (REE) SEPARATIONS." The project aims to design novel membrane materials featuring nanoscale structures, inspired by biological pores, that can selectively enrich and separate rare earth elements (REEs). Researchers will use...
- This National Science Foundation (NSF) Geosciences Program (CFDA 47.050) Project Grant award in the amount of $369,810 will support collaborative research to investigate the potential for recovering rare earth elements (REEs) and yttrium from acid mine drainage remediation systems. The research will examine how various biogeochemical conditions impact the uptake of REEs and yttrium by hydrous manganese oxide minerals found in acid mine drainage. Through a combination of laboratory and field...
- The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $180,189 Project Grant under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) to The Washington and Lee University. The grant, effective August 15, 2024, with a projected completion date of July 31, 2027, will support collaborative research to investigate the potential for extracting rare earth elements and yttrium from acid mine drainage using biotic and abiotic hydrous manganese oxides. The research aims to identify optimal conditions for concentrating...
- The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $305,000 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program to Mckeon Mining LLC. The grant, awarded on October 1, 2025, aims to develop a novel centrifugal assisted gravity separator for extracting critical minerals such as titanium, zirconium, and rare earth elements (e.g., praseodymium, neodymium, dysprosium, and terbium) from quartz sands. The objective is to produce a benchtop prototype unit and...
- This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) provides $650,000 over 4 years to the University of Illinois for research on developing sustainable strategies for separating and recovering rare-earth elements (REEs) and platinum group metals (PGMs) from waste streams. The project aims to create new electrically-driven separation systems using conductive polymer and carbon nanotube-based electrode materials that can selectively and...
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $1,112,040 Cooperative Agreement under its Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program to Reegen Inc., a biotechnology company located in Ithaca, New York. The project aims to develop an innovative biological solution for improving the U.S. rare earth element (REE) supply chain by recovering REEs from various waste sources. Reegen's three-step process utilizes engineered bacteria to extract, recover, and purify REEs from materials like platinum-group-metal slags, magnetic waste, incinerated insulin pumps, and steel slag. This approach seeks to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign REE sources and create a stable domestic supply of critical minerals essential for high-tech applications such as electric motors, battery technologies, and sustainable energy systems. The Phase II project, with an expected completion date of August 31, 2027, will advance the efficiency of REE extraction from waste materials to enable the commercialization of Reegen's technology.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $1.1m | 9/4/25 |