MODIFICATION 0004: The purpose of this modification is to correct Modification 0003 and clarify:

(1) the use of coal and coal-based sources is specifically not of interest under Topic Area 2 on page 19:

Proposed projects must not include coal or coal-based resources (see Section I.C of the FOA).

(2) the use of coal and coal-based sources is specifically not of interest under all Topic Areas of the FOA on page 21:

For applications under all Topic Areas of the FOA, proposed projects must not include coal or coal-based resources. Applicants may see Section I.E for additional details for related opportunities.

3) the submission deadlines are extended on page i.

Submission Deadline for Concept Papers:

6/29/20 5:00pm ET

Submission Deadline for Full Applications:

8/19/20 5:00pm ET

Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments:

9/17/20 5:00pm ET



MODIFICATION 0003: The purpose of this modification is to clarify the restrictions on the use of coal and coal-based sources in Topic Area 2 of the FOA on page 19 and page 21:

"For all Areas of Interest under Topic 2 of the FOA, flexible or mixed raw materials sources are of interest, but cannot include greater than 49% coal or coal-based sources by weight. Proposed projects to Topic Area 2 of this FOA must not be duplicative of existing efforts of the Feasibility of Recovery Rare Earth Elements Program at the National Energy Technology Laboratory."



MODIFICATION 0002: The purposes of this modification are to clarify:

(1) the definition of "raw materials" under this FOA on page 11:

"For the purposes of all topics in the FOA, "raw materials" refer to materials or minerals extracted from the natural environment and any associated waste streams, but do NOT include end-of-life products."; and

(2) which materials (raw materials vs. end-of-life products) are of interest for separation and processing under Topic 1 Area of Interest 2 on page 15:

Topic 1, Area of Interest 2, seeks projects to improve industrial beneficiation (froth flotation, magnetic separation, or gravity flotation), separation (solvent extraction) and/or processing (molten salt electrolysis and metallothermic reduction) of REEs. In addition to the Topic 1, Area of Interest 2, specific requirements below, improvements to REE separation and processing should be able to handle flexible feedstocks (Figure 3). Of particular interest are technologies that can handle both raw materials and end-of-life products. Proposed technologies cannot solely target end-of-life products, or propose end-of-life products as the material choice for demonstration of the proposed technology.

Battery Critical Materials

For Topic 1 Area of Interest 2, proposed improvements to separation and processing of cobalt, lithium, manganese, and synthetic graphite may include the ability to handle flexible feedstocks, i.e. technologies that can handle both raw materials.



MODIFICATION 0001: The purpose of this modification is to add general authorities that were transferred from the U.S. Bureau of Mines to the Department of Energy, on page 8 of the FOA:

“In addition, the Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1996 generally supports DOE research and development activities related to extraction, separation, and processing technologies. When the United States Bureau of Mines (BoM) was closed in 1996, Congress transferred certain BoM functions to DOE including research of the extraction, processing, use and disposal of mineral substances, and functions pertaining to mineral reclamation industries and the development of methods for the disposal, control, prevention, and reclamation of mineral waste products. See Pub. L. No. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321-167 (1996).”

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCMENT:

Through this funding opportunity announcement (FOA), the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) seeks to address gaps in domestic supply chains for key critical materials for clean energy technologies to:

- Enable domestic manufacturing of high energy efficiency and high energy density clean energy technologies;

- Diversify the domestic supply of critical materials; and

- Validate and demonstrate domestic innovative technologies to support the transition to U.S. manufacturing.

This will be accomplished through development of alternative next-generation technologies and field validation and demonstration of technologies that improve extraction, separation and processing. Key critical materials for energy technologies as defined in this FOA include: rare earth elements: neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), and samarium (Sm) used in permanent magnets for electric vehicle motors, wind turbine generators and high temperature applications; cobalt (Co) used in batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and grid storage and high temperature permanent magnets; and lithium (Li), manganese (Mn) and natural graphite used in batteries (see table below).This FOA seeks to leverage the technology and capabilities developed at the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), an Energy Innovation Hub led by Ames Laboratory and managed by DOE.



For questions and answers pertaining to this FOA, please reference the DE-FOA-0002322 AMO 2020 FAQ Log at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.

EERE Exchange is designed to enforce the deadlines specified in this FOA. The “Apply” and “Submit” buttons will automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. Should applicants experience problems with EERE Exchange, the following information may be helpful.

Applicants that experience issues with submission PRIOR to the FOA deadline: In the event that an applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the applicant should contact the EERE Exchange helpdesk for assistance (EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The EERE Exchange helpdesk and/or the EERE Exchange system administrators will assist applicants in resolving issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in late submissions: In the event that an applicant experiences technical difficulties so severe that they are unable to submit their application by the deadline, the applicant should contact the EERE Exchange helpdesk for assistance (EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The EERE Exchange helpdesk and/or the EERE Exchange system administrators will assist the applicant in resolving all issues (including finalizing submission on behalf of and with the applicant’s concurrence). Please note, network traffic is at its heaviest during the final hours and minutes prior to submittal deadline. Applicants who experience this during the final hours or minutes and are unsuccessful in uploading documents will not be able to use this process.



