SWCM Partners with Cornell on Sequestration in Montana Project

By Stillwater Critical Minerals | February 15, 2023

Stillwater Critical Minerals (the "Company" or "SWCM") is pleased to announce it has partnered with Cornell University under the MINER program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") via the Advanced Research Projects Agency program ("ARPA-E"). Test work, led by Dr. Greeshma Gadikota, will focus on novel hydrometallurgical techniques and carbon capture, with the objective of increasing the extraction of critical minerals using reduced energy for a carbon negative mining future.

Cornell University is the recipient of a federal grant from ARPA-E as part of a program entitled "Supercritical CO2-Based Mining for Carbon-Negative Critical Mineral Recovery". Cornell University seeks to advance CO2-sourced hydrometallurgical pathways for recovering energy critical metals, including nickel, cobalt, platinum and palladium, coupled to the carbon mineralization of calcium and magnesium components to produce calcium and magnesium carbonates. Novel functional materials for the selective capture and recovery of these energy critical metals will be developed. Various sources for CO2 will be investigated including air for metal recovery coupled to carbon mineralization. These approaches will be specifically tuned to the mineralogy of the Company's Stillwater West project in Montana.

Dr. Greeshma Gadikota stated, "The U.S. imports the great majority of its energy critical metals from mines all over the world, leaving the U.S. quite vulnerable. Our research is all about decarbonizing the mining industry and developing an independent, domestic supply chain of these critical metals. It's important for U.S. manufacturing, green energy, national security, and competitiveness."

Relating to the Cornell University partnership, Company President and CEO, Michael Rowley, will join Dr. Gadikota at the ARPA-E MINER kick-off event in Austin, Texas on February 14 and 15, 2023. Other presenters and attendees include Tesla Motors, major mining companies, top US government officials and financial institutions. More information on the MINER program is available here: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/technologies/programs/miner.

Michael Rowley, Stillwater Critical Minerals President & CEO, stated, "We are very pleased to be selected as the industry partner for Dr. Gadikota's cutting-edge work and to work closely with her team toward our shared vision of securing the future domestic supply of the critical minerals the US so urgently needs. Our Stillwater West project is rapidly advancing as a potential large-scale, low-carbon source of nickel, copper, cobalt, palladium, platinum and rhodium. Located in an active and expanding US mining district with a long history of critical minerals production and demonstrated world-class scale and grade, Stillwater West is on a very short list of assets with the potential to play a significant role in realizing the goals set out in the bipartisan Inflation Reduction Act, and other ongoing initiatives. It is our belief that mining can do more than supply minerals by conventional means, and that partnerships such as this are the path toward more sustainable practices."