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Industrial Needs
While the need for critical minerals in the manufacturing of consumer electronics is well known, there is growing domestic demand for critical minerals in high-tech industry, transportation, and defense applications.
Critical minerals are essential to the production of high-tech equipment in a wide variety of sectors including energy production (Barite), national defense (REE, Germanium), battery technology (Cobalt, Lithium, Manganese), information technology (Gallium, Niobium), and health care (Bismuth).
Domestic production of critical minerals will assure a resilient supply chain and represents a potential revenue source for the U.S. Government. To support this goal, BOEM, in conjunction with the USGS and NOAA, is exploring the OCS to locate critical minerals, document the surrounding environment, and study potential environmental impacts.
Critical Minerals are Part of Everyday Life
- BATTERIES: Cobalt, Lithium, Manganese, Antimony, Nickel, and more
- ENERGY: Arsenic, Tellurium, Aluminum, Manganese, Lithium, and more
- BUILDING MATERIALS: Aluminum, Chromium, Magnesium, Nickel, Zinc, Tin, Niobium, and more
- ELECTRICAL AND LIGHTING: Cerium, Europium, Lanthanum, Chromium, Gadolinium, Yttrium, and more
- METAL APPLIANCES: Aluminum, Chromium, Manganese, Niobium, and more
- TRANSPORTATION: Palladium, Platinum, Rhodium, Ruthenium, Aluminum, Nickel, Cobalt, and more
- ELECTRONICS: Cerium, Rhodium, Rubidium, Tantalum, Terbium, and more