Overview
The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, an initiative associated with the Department of Defense, awarded funding to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2024 to investigate the accumulation of rare earth elements in seaweed species around Bokan Mountain in Southeast Alaska. The research project studies how natural erosion impacts rare earth element transport form the mountain ridge into the ocean. From native seaweed tissue samples, UAF researchers analyzed the chemical composition and quantified rare earth elements present in the seaweed species. Harvest guidelines will be created to maximize rare earth element extraction from productive species, with the goal of establishing scalable operations to extract rare earth elements without the environmental impacts of traditional mining. AFDF is a partner organization for the project.
Project Announcement
