UAF's Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative vital to future of mining BY TIM BRADNER THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS’ ALASKA CRITICAL MINERALS COLLABORATIVE HAS BEEN INVITED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FOR $160 MILLION IN ITS “REGIONAL INNOVATION ENGINES.” THE UNIVERSITY IS WORKING WITH A COALITION OF INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT AND UNIVERSITY PARTNERS AS PART OF THE INITIATIVE. The new proposal builds on work done earlier, and continuing, by the university under its CORE-CM critical minerals initiative. The U.S. Department of Energy provided $1.5 million for phase one. A $9.3 million U.S. DOE grant for phase two of CORE-CM is pending. CORE-CM is being led by the university’s Institute of Northern Engineering and the state Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (DGGS). The goal of both is to help build the state’s minerals industry from exploration to mine closure, including aiding companies in production of critical minerals in existing mines. “The quest to understand and harness Alaska's potential to contribute to the domestic critical mineral markets is a monumental task,” the university said in its report on the CORE-CM phase one. “Alaska's vast and remote landscapes, coupled with its rich geological diversity, and lack of infrastructure present both opportunities and obstacles in the pursuit of critical minerals such as rare earth elements and critical minerals, even those found in carbon ore, or coal, basins,” the university said. Some of the outcomes of the CORE-CM phase one are in improved remote sensing technology to detect minerals, refining of ores with biological processes, recovery of rare earths from coal, and other work. One result was the use of hand-held X-ray fluorescence devices to detect the presence of rare earth elements in samples. A key objective is to improve the extraction and processing of critical minerals, many found in association with other metals being mined in Alaska, for example, in gold and zinc production. If awarded, the “NSF Engine” funds could total $160 million over 10 years, with an initial two-year ramp-up period funded at $15 million. UAF has secured letters of support from the mining industry, Alaska Native corporations, national laboratories, venture capitalists and other university research facilities. There is intense competition nationally for the grant. So far, the Alaska group has made it through several rounds of screenings, which have narrowed the list of competitors. Zinc and gold are often found in combination with other elements. For example, germanium is extracted from zinc ore mined at the Red Dog Mine north of Kotzebue (extraction is done at the smelter, not the mine). Similarly, bismuth and tellurium are found with gold ore mined at the Pogo Mine east of Fairbanks. These metals are vital in advanced technology industries. Rare earth elements have also been 32 ALASKA RESOURCE REVIEW SPRING 2025 UNIVERSITY, DGGS LEAD ON MINERALS RESEARCH Photo Courtesy Red Dog Mine There are now three operating mines with potential for critical minerals and rare earths including Red Dog (above), Greens Creek and Usibelli, the CORE-CM final report indicated.
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