Creating a Domestic Supply Chain of Critical Minerals for the United States

Chemours Titanium Technologies President Damián Gumpel recently joined U.S. leaders in Washington, D.C., to discuss how the company can best support the nation’s goal of significantly increasing the domestic supply of critical minerals. The visit follows the recent creation of a strategic alliance between Chemours and Energy Fuels to enhance domestic rare earth and critical mineral supply chains, aiming to meet increasing demand. As part of the alliance, the companies will explore complementary opportunities that may increase the flow of critical minerals into the USA from allied nations, which will then enable increased production of critical materials in the U.S. needed for a variety of advanced and defense technologies, along with industrial applications, by both Chemours and Energy Fuels.

Chemours Titanium Technologies, regarded as a global leader in titanium dioxide (TiO2) production – a premium white pigment used in architectural and industrial coatings, plastics, and laminates – also has a strong history as a domestic leader in heavy mineral sands mining and mineral separation, spanning 75 years.

At its Florida and Georgia locations, Chemours utilizes advanced technologies and mining methods to extract concentrated deposits of minerals, including titanium, zircon, monazite, and staurolite, through surface mining with minimal environmental impact. These minerals are essential elements in the manufacture of consumer and industrial products, including those used in aerospace and defense applications.

Since the 1980s, China has dominated the global rare earth supply chain and now processes approximately 90% of the world’s rare earth minerals. Chemours is proud to support the U.S. goal of increasing our domestic supply of critical minerals, and the strategic alliance with Energy Fuels is a way to meaningfully shore up domestic critical mineral supply chains and increase domestic production.

“Chemours is proud to play a role in strengthening U.S. critical and rare earth mineral supply. This is a transformative time in our industry, and we are fortunate to have found a likeminded U.S. partner in Energy Fuels for this important work,” said Damián Gumpel, President of Chemours Titanium Technologies.

The strategic alliance with Energy Fuels will capitalize on the complementary geographic and operational synergies of both organizations, aiming to increase production and establish a domestic supply chain of critical minerals for the U.S. Additionally, it seeks to further the substantial infrastructure and projects that the companies control globally.

Energy Fuels, a leading U.S. producer of rare earth elements, is currently developing new heavy mineral sands projects in Madagascar, Brazil, and Australia, expected to produce world-scale quantities of rare earth, titanium ilmenite, and zircon minerals in the coming years.

“Energy Fuels and Chemours each have unique, complementary capabilities, which can be deployed to solve many of America’s critical mineral supply chain challenges in rare earth elements, titanium and zirconium. Energy Fuels and Chemours have collaborated successfully over the past four years, and we look forward to expanding our relationship in this key area,” said Mark Chalmers, President and CEO of Energy Fuels.