The Shell GameChanger™ Accelerator Powered by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (GCxN) is a multimillion-dollar, multiyear program developed in collaboration between Shell and the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). GCxN discovers and advances promising energy technologies, connecting startups with the resources, expertise, and facilities at NLR and Shell to reduce technology development risk and accelerate tech to market.

For Cohort 9, GCxN is seeking referrals for novel, scalable technologies for low-carbon processing and separation of critical minerals. To refer a startup, complete this short form by Friday, June 19.

Questions? Reach out to our team at GCxN@nlr.gov.

 

 

Critical Minerals

Critical minerals are essential to batteries, renewable power, electric motors and grid infrastructure, yet supply chains face cost, carbon-intensity and security constraints. Shell cares because these materials affect the pace and reliability of electrification, and Shell capabilities (processing, water handling, subsurface/geothermal and industrial operations) can help enable lower-carbon, scalable extraction, separation and refining.

What are we looking for?

Any novel, scalable technologies for low-carbon processing and separation of critical minerals.

Feedstocks of Interest

  • Liquid streams (e.g., geothermal brines, industrial waste/effluents, produced water)
  • Mine waste (e.g., tailings, acid mine drainage)
  • Mineral-rich streams other than traditional hard-rock mining ores

Products of interest (primary)

  • Copper, aluminum, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, rare earths, silver, platinum group metals
  • Mineral concentrates, refined products, and/or upgraded intermediate products that are dropin for existing refining/separation flows or that improve recovery/economics with new processes

Products of interest (secondary)

  • Graphite, gallium, indium

In-scope Technologies of Interest

  • Technologies for targeted exploration and/or resource characterization of the products of interest
  • Technologies that use processes that are electrically-driven, use waste heat, or use geothermal energy to extract, separate, process, refine and upgrade target minerals
  • Technologies that offer a step-change in cost, carbon intensity, and/or energy intensity
  • Pathways that are readily scalable to commercial deployment within 5-10 years
  • Technologies that have promising transferability (e.g. for separations) are in scope
  • Bioprocesses are in scope

Out-of-scope

  • Technologies requiring more than 10 years to commercialize
  • Traditional hard-rock mining
  • Purely thermochemical or legacy processes
  • Optimizations and improvements on smelting/blast furnace technology
  • Direct lithium extraction