Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) (SBIR/STTR) | DE FOA 0002708

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002708

The Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) SBIR/STTR funding opportunity (FOA number DE-FOA-0002708) is a Department of Energy ARPA-E grant program aimed at helping small businesses develop commercial-ready mining and minerals-processing technologies that can both strengthen domestic supply chains for critical minerals and cut or even reverse the carbon footprint of producing those materials. The core motivation is twofold: the United States needs larger, more secure supplies of minerals like copper, nickel, lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements to support batteries, clean electricity generation, and grid expansion, but conventional mining is becoming more expensive and less efficient as high-grade deposits deplete and the costs of crushing, processing, tailings management, and environmental controls rise. MINER is positioned as applied research and development with clear commercialization potential, consistent with ARPA-E's mission of backing high-risk, high-reward technology that could create new cost and performance "learning curves" rather than incremental improvements.

Technically, MINER seeks projects that can deliver step-change improvements in three program-level outcomes: first, cutting comminution energy (the energy used to crush and grind ore) by 50% compared to current state-of-the-art approaches; second, increasing recovery of energy-relevant minerals by reducing the amount of valuable material left behind in tailings by 50% compared to state-of-the-art; and third, enabling net-negative emissions mineral production by sequestering more than 10 weight percent CO2e per metric ton of ore processed. In practical terms, this means ARPA-E is looking for innovations that make it cheaper and less energy-intensive to liberate minerals from rock, recover a higher fraction of target elements during beneficiation and processing, and simultaneously drive mineralization or carbonation reactions that lock atmospheric or industrial CO2 into stable solid forms as part of the processing train.

To organize the kinds of solutions it wants to see, the FOA lays out four major technical categories. One area is mineral comminution, where concepts might involve novel breakage methods, more selective liberation strategies, improved classification, or alternative size-reduction pathways that reduce wasted energy. A second area focuses on beneficiation and processing improvements to raise yield, which can include new separation approaches, enhanced chemistry, or flowsheet innovations designed to capture more of the critical elements that would otherwise end up in tailings. A third area targets carbon-negative reactions, emphasizing processes that actively consume CO2 as a functional input and convert it into stable mineral carbonates or other long-lived products while still enabling production of usable mineral outputs. The fourth area covers sensing and analysis tools that help identify, quantify, and enable carbonation potential and mineralization, reflecting the need to rapidly characterize ore bodies, tailings, and process streams so operators can predict where carbon mineralization is feasible and control it in real time.

From an applicant standpoint, this is an SBIR/STTR opportunity specifically listing small businesses as the eligible applicant type, and awards are made under assistance mechanisms such as cooperative agreements, grants, or other instruments. The opportunity anticipated around 15 awards, with an award ceiling of about $3.95 million per project. The FOA also emphasizes that proposers should be prepared to address techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) expectations, which is typical for ARPA-E: proposals are not just judged on whether the science is interesting, but on whether the approach can plausibly scale, compete on cost, and deliver real net emissions benefits when you account for the full system impacts.

Operationally, applicants had to access the full FOA on the ARPA-E website and submit required materials through the ARPA-E eXCHANGE system, which is the only submission path ARPA-E will accept for concept papers and applications. The posting highlights support channels for submission issues (ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov) and a separate contact for FOA questions (ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov), along with a general ARPA-E FAQ page. The original deadline listed for submissions was 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on April 15, 2022, and the notice strongly encouraged submitting at least 48 hours early to avoid last-minute technical problems.

• The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the opportunity zone benefits, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) (SBIR/STTR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 24, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 15, 2022 Submissions to this FOA are due no later than 930 a.m. Eastern Time on 04/15/2022. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit at least 48 hours in advance of the due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,952,638.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for DE FOA 0002708

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