Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) | DE FOA 0002707

MINER (DE-FOA-0002707) Grant Opportunity FAQs

1) What is the MINER funding opportunity?

Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) is an ARPA-E program (DE-FOA-0002707) focused on developing disruptive mining and mineral processing technologies. The goal is to strengthen the U.S. supply chain for critical minerals used in clean energy technologies, while also reducing energy use, improving mineral recovery, and enabling net-zero or net-negative greenhouse gas outcomes.

2) Which agency is running MINER?

MINER is administered by ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy) within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

3) What problem is MINER trying to solve?

MINER targets major challenges of conventional mining and mineral processing, including high energy consumption (especially in comminution), rising costs as higher-grade deposits are depleted, and long-term liabilities and expenses tied to tailings. The program aims to increase domestic production of critical minerals without the typical tradeoff of higher emissions and expanding waste streams.

4) What minerals or elements does MINER focus on?

The opportunity emphasizes critical minerals relevant to clean energy, including copper, nickel, lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, and other energy-relevant critical elements.

5) Is this program looking for basic science research?

No. MINER is positioned as an applied R&D and experimental development program seeking commercial-ready technologies or credible approaches that can scale. The emphasis is on moving technologies meaningfully toward real-world deployment within a defined period, rather than conducting basic science projects.

6) What are the main technical objectives of MINER?

The program sets three headline objectives with clear performance direction:

• Comminution energy: Target a 50% reduction in comminution energy compared to the state of the art.
• Mineral yield and tailings losses: Increase mineral yield by cutting unrecovered energy-relevant minerals in tailings by 50% compared to the state of the art.
• Negative emissions mineral production: Enable net-negative outcomes by sequestering more than 10 weight percent CO2-equivalent per metric ton of ore processed.

7) What does "comminution" mean in the context of this FOA?

Comminution refers to crushing and grinding rock (size reduction). MINER highlights comminution because it is one of the most energy-intensive and costly steps in mining, and the program explicitly targets large reductions in comminution energy.

8) What does MINER mean by improving mineral yield and reducing tailings losses?

MINER is looking for technologies that recover more energy-relevant critical minerals that would otherwise be left behind. The program aims to reduce the amount of valuable minerals remaining in tailings by 50% compared to current best practices, implying improved separation, beneficiation, and/or processing.

9) What is the negative-emissions target and how is it expressed?

The FOA calls for enabling negative-emissions mineral production by sequestering more than 10 weight percent CO2-equivalent per metric ton of ore processed. This signals interest in approaches that permanently lock carbon into stable mineral forms as part of mining, processing, or waste handling rather than treating carbon management as a bolt-on feature.

10) What types of solutions does MINER fund (technical categories)?

MINER describes four main technical categories:

• Mineral comminution: Innovations that dramatically reduce energy for size reduction while maintaining or improving downstream processing performance.
• Beneficiation and processing for higher yield: Better separation techniques, new processing routes, and methods to recover more value from lower-grade ores and/or existing waste streams like tailings.
• Carbon-negative reactions: Chemical or mineralization pathways that result in net carbon sequestration while supporting mineral extraction or waste stabilization.
• Sensing, analysis, and enabling technologies: Tools to identify carbonation potential, measure and verify mineralization, and guide operational decisions so carbon-negative pathways are practical at scale.

11) Does MINER encourage recovering minerals from tailings or existing waste streams?

Yes. The program explicitly discusses reducing unrecovered energy-relevant minerals in tailings and includes approaches that recover more value from existing waste streams like tailings as part of its beneficiation and processing focus.

12) What does ARPA-E expect in terms of project credibility and scaling?

ARPA-E emphasizes performance targets and a credible route to cost-effective scaling. MINER seeks technologies that can scale toward real-world deployment, supported by structured analysis and defensible claims, rather than concepts that only demonstrate lab validation without a clear pathway to practical adoption.

13) What award instruments might ARPA-E use for MINER?

Awards are expected to be made under assistance instruments that can include cooperative agreements, grants, or other mechanisms.

14) What is the maximum funding per award?

The posted award ceiling is up to $5,000,000 per award.

15) How many awards does ARPA-E expect to make under this FOA?

The FOA indicates an expectation of around 15 awards.

16) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types can apply, subject to any specific clarifications in the full FOA.

17) Are techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) required?

The FOA references requirements for techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). This reflects ARPA-E practice of requiring teams to quantify cost drivers, scalability constraints, and full-system emissions impacts, especially for a program seeking net-negative outcomes.

18) Why does MINER emphasize TEA and LCA?

The intent is to ensure proposals quantify economics and real-world impacts and do not simply shift burdens elsewhere in the system. For example, a concept that reduces tailings losses but increases energy use upstream would need to be evaluated holistically. Similarly, carbon sequestration claims must be measurable and defensible.

19) How do applicants submit to MINER?

Submissions must be made through ARPA-E eXCHANGE. ARPA-E will not review or consider concept papers submitted through other channels. Applicants are expected to register in eXCHANGE and follow instructions in the eXCHANGE User Guide.

20) Where do applicants get help with eXCHANGE technical issues?

Technical or system issues should be sent to ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov. The email subject line should include the FOA name and number.

21) Where do applicants send questions about the FOA content?

FOA content questions are directed to ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov, after checking ARPA-E's FAQ page.

22) What is the submission deadline listed in the posting?

The original posting indicates a submission deadline of 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on April 15, 2022.

23) Does ARPA-E recommend submitting early?

Yes. The posting strongly recommends submitting at least 48 hours early to avoid last-minute issues.

24) What is the overall "big picture" goal of MINER?

MINER is a targeted push to modernize mining around three linked outcomes: (1) drastically lower energy intensity in comminution, (2) significantly higher recovery of valuable critical minerals by reducing losses to tailings, and (3) integrated carbon mineralization or related pathways that can make domestic mineral production net-zero or net-negative. The program is positioned to support U.S. energy security and emissions goals by improving domestic supply of energy-relevant minerals.