{"682403":{"#nid":"682403","#data":{"type":"news","title":"How the US Can Mine Its Own Critical Minerals \u2014 Without Digging New Holes","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEvery time you use your phone, open your computer or listen to your favorite music on AirPods, you are relying on critical minerals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese materials are the tiny building blocks powering modern life. From lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite in batteries to gallium in telecommunication systems that enable constant connectivity, critical minerals act as the essential vitamins of modern technology: small in volume but vital to function.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet the U.S. depends heavily on imports \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3133\/mcs2025\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Efor most critical materials\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. In 2024 the U.S. imported 80% of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/what-are-rare-earths-crucial-elements-in-modern-technology-4-questions-answered-101364\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Erare earth elements\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E it used, 100% of gallium and natural graphite, and 48% to 76% of lithium, nickel and cobalt, to name a few.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/06\/how-us-can-mine-its-own-critical-minerals-without-digging-new-holes\u0022\u003ERead more \u00bb\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEvery time you use your phone, open your computer or listen to your favorite music on AirPods, you are relying on critical minerals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese materials are the tiny building blocks powering modern life. From lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite in batteries to gallium in telecommunication systems that enable constant connectivity, critical minerals act as the essential vitamins of modern technology: small in volume but vital to function.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Every time you use your phone, open your computer or listen to your favorite music on AirPods, you are relying on critical minerals."}],"uid":"27255","created_gmt":"2025-05-14 23:05:27","changed_gmt":"2025-12-02 05:07:50","author":"Josie Giles","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-05-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-05-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677075":{"id":"677075","type":"image","title":"earth-oxides.jpg","body":null,"created":"1747263943","gmt_created":"2025-05-14 23:05:43","changed":"1747263943","gmt_changed":"2025-05-14 23:05:43","alt":"Piles of rare earth oxides praseodymium, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, samarium and gadolinium. Peggy Greb\/USDA-ARS","file":{"fid":"260939","name":"earth-oxides.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/14\/earth-oxides.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/14\/earth-oxides.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":248936,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/14\/earth-oxides.jpg?itok=K3NXnrHM"}}},"media_ids":["677075"],"groups":[{"id":"372221","name":"Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188020","name":"go-rbi"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}