Zornitsa Todorova (Opinion, May 14) correctly reminds us that meeting the growing need for critical minerals requires much more than mining: the rare earths must be converted into metals. You can’t “draw” wire with copper ore: you need copper metal, and this requires smelting capacity. Resuscitating metallurgical enterprises operating carbon-intensive processes of a bygone era is not the proper response. Instead, this is the moment to accelerate a wave of innovation in metals extraction technology.
Imagine a process that produces superior metal at a lower price point than that of legacy technology and does so with zero emissions to air, water and to soil. Such technologies would recapture US domestic market share from foreign producers while meeting our pressing materials needs. Isn’t it fitting that modern products be built out of metals produced by modern extraction technologies?
Donald R Sadoway
Professor Emeritus of Materials Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; President and Founder, Sadoway Labs,
Boston, MA, US
