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August 2025

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Editorial comment

In the race to secure critical mineral supply chains, one capability is emerging as the driving force of long-term resilience: domestic refining.

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Across the US, policymakers and industry leaders are rethinking the role of critical mineral processing as a strategy for national security, industrial competitiveness, and technological progress. Recent policy shifts have underscored the fact that without the infrastructure to refine, industry in the US is vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

Global demand for metals like nickel, cobalt, copper, and others continues to surge, fuelled by growth in transportation, consumer electronics, clean energy, and defence. Meanwhile, refining capacity for minerals is still heavily concentrated overseas. According to the 2024 Digital Economy Report from UN Trade and Development (UNCTD), China currently controls roughly two-thirds of global refining capacity for critical minerals, leaving the world to rely on a singular source for most of the necessary materials.1

It also creates significant bottlenecks. As industries compete for access to limited processing resources, delays in refining can bring entire value chains to a screeching halt. The solution is not only in expanding capacity, it is rethinking how we handle end-of-life materials.

One of the biggest barriers to building refining capacity in the US is permitting – regulatory timelines can stretch for years. But what if we could sidestep that delay entirely? Modular refining systems offer a faster, simpler path forward. Due to the fact that they generate less waste, require less land, and can be installed within existing industrial zones, these systems often avoid the need for lengthy permitting processes. Their flexibility and smaller footprint make it possible to deploy critical refining capacity without always having to break new ground.

At this point, modularity is more than a convenience; it is a necessity. Systems that can be quickly deployed, scaled, and adapted to different feedstocks, from scrap metal to recycled batteries, help reduce permitting issues, lower environmental risk, and accelerate domestic production. US-based companies are already proving this out in the field, demonstrating how nimble refining systems can bring resilience to vulnerable supply chains.

Permitting reform remains important, but it will take time. In the meantime, low-footprint, low-waste refining systems offer a way to build smarter, faster, and get to work now. Commercially available solutions, field-tested and deployable in months, not years, can buy time and capacity while broader policy changes take shape.

This is not just about upgrading equipment. It is about building a system that supports circularity, resilience, and growth without getting buried in red tape. Critical mineral processing here at home is the foundation of every future-facing technology we rely on. Done right, it does not just strengthen our economy or enhance security, it helps us act with urgency in a system that is not always built for speed.

Domestic refining is the missing link, but thanks to modular, flexible systems and smarter permitting strategies, we do not have to wait to build it.

References

  1. ‘Digital Economy Report’ 2024, UNCTAD, https://unctad.org/publication/digital-economy-report-2024