Our Vision:

Address the critical materials supply chain issue facing the U.S., freeing our dependence on China
Develop an environmentally-friendly process for recovering REEs
Remediate environmental pollution
Seek opportunities that decarbonize key industrial processes (mining & mining byproducts)
Create high paying U.S. jobs

Our Mission

Develop and provide cutting-edge technology and process solutions to the REE extraction and purification industry, eliminating U.S. dependence on China for these critical materials.

Our Focus

Tusaar is focused on providing technology that enables large-scale Rare Earth Element (REE) recovery operations at existing U.S. mine sites. These mine wastes are often contaminated with radioactive materials and other unwanted materials. Tusaar not only recovers the REEs while sequestering radioactive contaminants, but also produces other valuable byproducts leading to the decarbonization of other major industries. For example, phosphate mining generates huge stacks of phosphogypsum that are currently unusable due to radioactive contamination. Tusaar’s process recovers the REEs while sequestering the radioactive materials yielding a decarbonized/decontaminated gypsum that can be used in cement and wallboard production.

In reaching our goal, Tusaar will support the ever-increasing demand for rare earth elements in products critical to our way of life. Chinese REE mining and separation processes are energy intensive, environmentally damaging, and a threat to human life. By contrast, Tusaar is a low energy consumption process that is environmentally-friendly by turning waste mine products into REEs and other valuable byproducts. Tusaar’s process does not require new mines and eliminates the corresponding long lead times to establish a new mine while simultaneously addressing our critical materials dependence on China.

Tusaar has won numerous modest grants affirming the viability of our technology. Grant donors include the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, and DOD’s Defense Logistics Agency. We are hopeful of securing additional federal support such that Tusaar can take on China and become a leading domestic source for rare earth materials.

Innovations & Progress in Rare Earths

2023

Tusaar’s 6,000 square foot demonstration facility in Broomfield, CO is ready to commercialize our proprietary chromatographic technology. In this operation we are using domestic mine tailings that are economically viable for the large scale recovery of REEs. These resources are immediately available, thus eliminating long delays that would be realized in creating a new operating mine.

Tusaar is working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on the recovery of valuable metals from recycled EV batteries and high energy magnets.

2022

DOD’s Defense Logistics Agency awarded Tusaar a Phase II grant to significantly scale its process in a 6,000 square foot demonstration facility.

2021

DOD’s Defense Logistics Agency awarded Tusaar a Phase I grant to demonstrate the recovery of REEs from mining wastes which was successfully completed.

2020

During the global pandemic Tusaar ceased all China-focused activities.

2018

Tusaar media receives China Ministry of Health certification for tests similar to NSF 53 and 61.

China certification laboratory tests confirm 450 grams of granular Tusaar media treats over 22,000 liters of water containing 150 ppb lead.

2017

Successful onsite testing for industrial wastewater at large automotive plant in China.

2016

Invented media for metal removal for drinking water.

U.S. Department of Energy $1M grant to recover rare earths from coal power-plant fly ash. Successful project details described in “Economical & Environmentally Benign Extraction of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from Coal & Coal Byproducts.”

2015

Technology developed for the extraction of clean rare earth metals from recycled fluorescent light bulb phosphors.

2014

U. S. Department Of Energy $500,000 grant to recover rare earths from geothermal waters produced deep within the earth. Successful project described in “Environmentally Friendly & Economical Sequestration of Rare Earth Metals from Geothermal Waters.”

Highlighted in BizWest article, “Tusaar hopes for Rare Earth Rewards”