U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ANNOUNCES INTENT TO FUND PROJECTS THAT ADVANCE DOMESTIC GALLIUM PRODUCTION
Prototype technologies will leverage existing feedstocks at U.S. metal processing facilities to reduce foreign dependence and increase efficiency of gallium recovery
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management today announced its intent to launch the Technology for Recovery and Advanced Critical-material Extraction–Gallium (TRACE-Ga) initiative to help establish a secure and independent domestic supply chain for gallium—a critical material for the nation’s energy, defense, and semiconductor sectors. This initiative will support innovative and economically viable technologies for recovering gallium from U.S. metal processing feedstocks, advancing President Trump’s commitment to strengthen America’s critical minerals supply chain. Developing domestic supply chains for gallium will help strengthen America’s national security by fostering the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies, expanding the nation’s critical materials portfolio, and reducing reliance on foreign sources.
The TRACE-Ga will be managed by ENERGYWERX in partnership with DOE, a collaboration made possible through an innovative Partnership Intermediary Agreement established by the DOE's Office of Technology Commercialization. This agreement enables ENERGYWERX to broaden DOE’s engagement with innovative organizations and non-traditional partners, facilitating the rapid development, scaling, and deployment of energy solutions.
Prospective projects will test and validate prototype technologies with a goal of producing at least 50 kg of pure gallium from at least one 14-day campaign of continuous operation with a real-world metal industry processing stream. The objective is to validate a prototype that is capable of producing at least 1 metric ton per annum scale of gallium.
Applicants to the TRACE-Ga funding opportunity must qualify as a domestic entity. Eligible applicants will be asked to provide:
- Evidence of success for recovering gallium from feedstock similar to the proposed metal industry process stream;
- A letter of support from any company, agency, or other party that has ownership/rights to any proposed feedstock materials, where applicable; and
- A description of the potential for scale-up at the initial metal industry processing stream and market adoption beyond the initial metal industry processing stream source.
DOE intends to open the program for submissions in the coming weeks. Eligible applicants can sign up now to the TRACE-Ga Teaming Partner List to express interest in partnering with others and share contact information. Visit the ENERGYWERX website for subsequent updates and announcements for the TRACE-Ga initiative. Questions about the program may be submitted to info@energywerx.org.
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