Alcoa and US Department of Energy to explore critical mineral recovery from bauxite residue in Arkansas

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The US Department of Energy and Alcoa are teaming up on a pilot project in Saline County, Arkansas, to recover critical minerals from mining waste left behind by earlier bauxite operations. 

The project is part of USD 162 million in DOE selections for nine private-sector projects aimed at recovering critical minerals and other valuable materials from industrial and mining byproducts.

Alcoa has not mined bauxite in the area for decades. However, the company says residue from earlier mining operations may contain rare earth elements and other critical minerals that have been difficult to recover. Alcoa plans to test a microwave-based technology developed to extract these materials from the existing residue.

DOE Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson said, “We think their technology can unlock it. It's been done in labs. It's been done on a small scale.” 

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The next challenge is to determine whether it can work effectively at a larger scale. Robertson said federal support is intended to help private companies take technologies such as this from experimental stages towards commercial application.

One mineral receiving particular attention is gallium. Gallium is not normally mined as a standalone mineral. It is mainly recovered as a byproduct of aluminium and zinc processing. It is used in technologies including radar, night vision systems, fighter jets and missiles. Therefore, the US government considers it important for its defence and semiconductor applications.

Because most of the world’s gallium comes from China, the US faces a major supply challenge, as the country does not have a reliable and predictable domestic source. This has increased the focus on developing alternative sources and recovery methods.

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Robertson commented, “Now it is time for the department and the federal government to be the partner, enabling Alcoa to scale this and scale it quickly, because our supply chain cannot take ten years to figure out.”

She further added, “We need to do this fast, and we need to do it in partnership with great companies ready to execute in communities like Bauxite, Arkansas, that support our mission, support our war fighters”

This makes the old bauxite residue in Arkansas potentially more valuable than it once appeared. Instead of treating the material only as mining waste, the project could test whether it can serve as a domestic source of critical minerals.

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Bauxite Mayor Eddie Jones said he believes Alcoa is looking at the former Reynolds Aluminium plant site on Reynolds Road for a potential facility.

The Department of Energy said the Bauxite project could put existing industrial waste to use, advance critical-mineral processing and connect the community to the growing technology supply chain.