Argonne, DOE Launch Initiative Focused on Scaling Chemical Technologies

Argonne National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on June 10 launched a new manufacturing initiative designed to help companies move emerging chemical processing and critical materials technologies from research into commercial-scale production more quickly.

The program, called the National Science-at-Scale Collaborative, is supported by DOE’s Office of Critical Materials and Energy Innovation (CMEI) and will focus on manufacturing scale-up, process development and deployment of advanced production technologies in the United States.

According to Argonne, researchers will work with industrial partners using artificial intelligence, advanced modeling, rapid synthesis systems and pilot-scale manufacturing tools at the laboratory’s Materials Engineering Research Facility to evaluate and scale production processes.

The collaborative is intended to address manufacturing bottlenecks involving critical minerals, specialty chemicals and advanced materials supply chains tied to energy technologies and industrial production.

Paul Kearns, director of Argonne National Laboratory, said the initiative is intended to strengthen connections between scientific research, engineering development and industrial deployment to improve U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.

The announcement followed an industry roundtable organized by CMEI involving chemical producers, materials companies and national laboratory representatives discussing supply chain and manufacturing challenges.

Participants included representatives from Aclara, Albemarle, ATALCO, BASF North America, Chemours, Dow, Entegris, Exxon Mobil, Orbia and Standard Lithium, along with DOE and Argonne National Laboratory officials.

Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson said the initiative is designed to help accelerate domestic production of new technologies and strengthen U.S. critical materials supply chains.

The collaborative aligns with broader DOE efforts focused on expanding domestic manufacturing capacity for next-generation energy technologies, advanced materials and chemical processing systems.