Critical minerals recycler TechMet has launched TechMet USA as a dedicated domestic US critical minerals platform with Erik Ripple at the helm.

TechMet USA is positioned to meet accelerating demand for the critical minerals that underpin America's economic competitiveness, industrial resilience and national security, says TechMet CEO and TechMet USA chairperson Brian Menell.

TechMet USA consolidates TechMet's US portfolio of four producing and late-stage developments assets including EnergySource Minerals, US Vanadium, Momentum Technologies and Xerion Advanced Battery Corporation.

Together, the businesses are advancing the extraction, production, processing and recycling of critical minerals and rare earth elements, as well as core technologies for cathode manufacturing.

Several of the businesses have received funding from US government agencies, while having established commercial relationships with major original-equipment manufacturers, commodity traders, strategic national security projects, national laboratories and other stakeholders to secure reliable supplies of critical materials and supply chains.

Meanwhile, Ripple brings to the TechMet USA CEO position significant experience across advanced materials and global industrial companies, having worked as CEO of a leading biopolymers company called NatureWorks and having held senior roles at a UK-based advanced battery materials company called Nexeon.

“TechMet USA brings together a high- quality portfolio of US critical minerals assets that are well positioned to strengthen America’s critical minerals supply chains against physical, cyber, and economic subversion. My focus will be on advancing these assets, building strategic and commercial partnerships, and accelerating growth to ensure American industry has secure, resilient, and Western-aligned supply chains," Ripple states.

For context, EnergySource Minerals has two business units: a direct lithium extraction technology platform that it licences to other lithium producers and a shovel-ready, permitted lithium extraction project that will produce lithium hydroxide; Momentum Technologies has a modular processing and recycler technology capable of processing both battery materials and rare earths; while US Vanadium is the only major US-based high-purity vanadium production company. Lastly, Xerion Advanced Battery offers a proprietary molten salt electrolysis technology to refine critical minerals and produce battery cathodes.