The University of Arizona has been awarded $1.7 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy to advance research and development in emerging extraction technologies.
The UA’s research team will integrate nanobubbles, surfactants and UV generated reactive compounds to accelerate copper release from ore, according to a DOE press release.
The ultimate target is a scalable method to boost overall copper recovery by at least 30%, said Maria Payan with the DOE.
The UA is one of 14 accredited mining schools across the country.
During a visit to the university’s San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory in Sahuarita on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson said schools like the UA will play a vital role in the reindustrialization of America.
“The brilliant minds of the U of A students around me, they will develop the new, next generation of technologies. We just heard today about autonomous mining. The next generation will make this a revolution in the supply chain, and it's going to start with production and mining,” Robertson said.
Robertson leads the DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation.
That office awarded $10 million to seven projects around the country including the UA, to “accelerate early-stage technology research and development to more efficiently recover and refine critical materials required for energy technologies," the announcement said.
Earlier this month, the office announced that it would invest up to $100 million as part of a nationwide initiative to strengthen the critical minerals workforce and domestic supply chain.
Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies, or PROSPECT, aims to expand educational opportunities for students pursuing mining degrees.
“The goal is very measurable: double the number of engineers in your mining and supply chain degree programs within two years,” Robertson said.
In July, five UA research projects were also selected by the DOE’s Genesis Mission – a nationwide initiative to accelerate scientific research by using artificial intelligence – for separate funding.
The projects span quantum science, earth systems, computational biology and AI.
University officials say the school was in the top 4% of other universities that were also awarded.
A total of 278 projects were selected from 342 participating institutions.
The Genesis Mission was launched by an Executive Order from President Trump in November 2025, to build the world's largest collection of federal scientific datasets.
Robertson said the mission was an “all-of-government” approach in using AI to solve some of the more complex problems the country is facing.
Under President Suresh Garimella, the UA has outlined critical minerals mining as an area of “great strategic importance”.
Since then, the university has 62 awards sponsored from the DOE that have “had activity” according to UA officials.
The total obligated amount of the awards is $9,658,228.
