Department of Energy (DoE) Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy (ARPA-E) has announced that the University of Kentucky SMaRT Center proposal entitled "Development of a Carbon-Negative Process for Comminution Energy Reduction and Energy-Relevant Mineral Extraction through Carbon Mineralization and Biological Carbon Fixation" has been selected for a $3.5 million award.

The University of Kentucky’s proposed technology will use CO₂ emitted at or near operating mines and processing operations to reduce the energy consumed during grinding by more than 50% while improving the recovery of critical energy-relevant minerals by 20% or greater. In this approach, CO2 will be mixed with ore containing valuable minerals, especially copper (Cu) and rare earth elements (REE), to improve the efficiency of grinding and separation. Additionally, the biological fixation of CO2 will be studied and employed in producing acid that can be used to recover Cu from low-grade feedstocks. If successful, the project will provide a novel carbon-negative process using waste CO2 to increase the amount of recoverable valuable energy-relevant minerals.