DULUTH, Minn. — The University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Metcovery II, LLC and other industry partners, has been selected by DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) to advance groundbreaking, continuous-smelting technology for next-generation steelmaking.
The initiative is part of a broader $117 million DOE funding package awarded to 56 projects nationwide through CMEI’s Industrial Technologies Office (ITO). The investments aim to accelerate energy- and cost-saving industrial innovations, lower production costs for key commodities, and strengthen domestic supply chains.
Titled "Induction Smelting of DRI-Processed Low Grade Ores for Steelmaking," the NRRI-led project addresses a critical bottleneck in the metallic iron and steel sector. By integrating a novel smelting step to strip impurities from domestic, low-cost, low-grade iron ores, the research creates viable pathways for production of alternate, metallic pig iron feedstocks for steelmaking.
“Crucially, NRRI will be innovating on a novel continuous induction smelting technology which, compared to the conventional batch operation, could dramatically increase productivity, energy efficiency, and output for domestic producers,” said Matt Mlinar, Research Group Leader - Minerals and Mineral Processing, NRRI.
"This selection highlights the essential role NRRI’s applied research can play in securing our nation's industrial supply chains," said Rolf Weberg, Executive Director at NRRI. "By enabling continuous smelting of low-grade domestic ores, we can unlock affordable, efficient pathways for high-value pig iron production right here in Minnesota and across the country."
The DOE award will support technology validation, pilot-scale testing, and commercial scalability assessments at NRRI’s specialized research facilities.
About the Natural Resources Research Institute
The Natural Resources Research Institute is a state-chartered applied research institute of the University of Minnesota's Research and Innovation Office, hosted by the Duluth Campus. NRRI maintains three sites in Northern Minnesota with a mission to deliver integrated research solutions that value our resources, environment and economy for a sustainable and resilient future. For more information about NRRI’s research and partnerships, visit nrri.umn.edu.
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