Time for USGS to add Molybdenum to the Critical Minerals List
Co-authored by Shaun Dykes, President & CEO and Lisa Anderson, Vice President of Government Relations of Idaho CuMo Mining Corporation
President Trump’s Presidential Executive Order on a Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals signed on December 20, 2017, mandates the Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Defense, and other relevant agencies publish an updated list of critical minerals by the end of February 2018.
The annual report, Critical Minerals of the United States issued by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provides a list of mineral commodities identified to have “important uses and no viable substitutes, yet face potential disruption in supply, are defined as critical to the Nation’s economic and national security” according to USGS. Few minerals are more appropriate for this list than molybdenum (moly).
While the United States has some of the most prolific potential moly sources, including the CuMo Project and Thompson Creek Mine in Idaho, domestic production decreased by 33 percent in 2016. However, support for mining in the region is strong. Boise State University’s, 2018 Idaho Public Policy Survey highlighted the overwhelming support of Idahoans for responsible mining, with 80.4 percent of respondents affirming their belief that mining can be conducted without negatively impacting the environment.
Moly is a strategic mineral that markedly increases the strength, heat resistance, and durability of stainless steel products. Nearly every project identified by the Trump Administration’s $1.5 trillion infrastructure initiative, including building new pipelines, replacing crumbling bridges, transforming railways and girding up tunnels that are critical to transportation, commerce and safety, will require moly-enhanced steel.
Current uses of moly include: bridge and building construction, especially where pollution/salt/volcanic exposure are factors; pipelines for petrol and drinking water delivery; manufacturing automobiles/ships/rockets/aircraft; lubrication for high heat purposes; agricultural fertilizer to boost crop production; fuel cell technology; mobile phones; and computers.
Moly innovations are also driving exciting advancements in medical, technological, and renewable energy research.
Advancements in battery technology are crucial to resolving power generation, storage and transmission issues that plague the U.S. power grid. Recent research has demonstrated that a combination of molybdenum and graphene/graphite improves energy capacity, increases lifespan, and decreases recharge times in lithium-ion batteries.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced ground-breaking advancements in its long-term x-ray technology research which integrates a “specially coated and polished slug of molybdenum”. The developing technology has increased X-ray pulses from 120 pulses per second to one million pulses per second which can produce atomic- and molecular-scale “movies”.
Research from the National University of Singapore establishes molybdenum as key to next-generation, two-dimensional semiconductors. Moly is the first viable alternative to silicon in semiconductors for emerging technologies that are developing smaller, faster and more energy-efficient computers.
With these important uses of molybdenum established, possible substitutions and disruption in supply must be considered. USGS states in the Mineral Commodity Summaries 2017 that there is “little substitution of molybdenum in its major applications” and National Mining Association recognized molybdenum as “vital to the foundation of our infrastructure.”
As U.S. foreign dependency increases and domestic production decreases, China retains control of 56 percent of the world’s moly compared to 18 percent controlled by the U.S. Furthermore, Chinese moly producers operate archaic and environmentally compromising facilities that are expected to be shut down by the government until they comply with environmental standards. An action that could tighten China’s grip on moly.
Should any of these innovations using molybdenum advance to become a major economic driver, which is likely, the U.S. will be at the mercy of China and other foreign moly sources. The domestic economy and national security will be compromised. By classifying molybdenum as a critical mineral, a potential supply chain crisis can be avoided.
The CuMo Project website offers more information on cutting-edge uses for molybdenum and the effort to add this strategic metal to the critical minerals list.
About Shaun Dykes
Shaun M. Dykes, M.Sc. (Eng.), P. Geo has worked for decades in the strategic minerals industry on projects including CuMo Project, Pine Tree, Spring Creek, Trikay and Blackpoint. Working with an integrated team of geologists and engineers, Dykes’ work includes ore reserve estimation, economic analysis, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, and environmental permitting in both Canadian and United States jurisdictions.
Contact: e: sdykes@idahocumo.com | p: 604.842.0625 | a: 638 Millbank Road, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4B7
About Lisa Anderson
Lisa Anderson served as the Director of Constituent Services for two U.S. Congressman; one Republican Member of Congress and one Democrat Member of Congress. For the past two years, Anderson has worked closely with Idaho CuMo and American CuMo management to develop and direct the Company’s strategic government relations program.
Contact: e: landerson@idahocumo.com | p: 208.954.3445 | a: PO Box 1623, Boise, ID 83701