Coppe and Cetem propose changes to the Mining Policy and sign an agreement for technological and academic cooperation

Brazil has the potential to develop domestic technologies for the exploration, processing, and transformation of rare earth elements and other critical and strategic minerals. For this potential to be realized, however, it is necessary to ensure that the resources allocated to research, development and innovation (R&D&I), as provided for in the National Policy on Critical and Strategic Minerals (PNMCE), are effectively applied in the mineral sector, with the participation of Brazilian companies and research institutions.

This was one of the main issues discussed by Coppe/UFRJ and the Mineral Technology Center (Cetem) during a debate held on September 21, which also marked the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions to expand scientific, technological, and academic cooperation in the mineral sector.

The debate focused on the role of the National Mining Agency (ANM) in creating mechanisms capable of stimulating investments in R&D&I and contributing to the improvement of the recently enacted National Policy on Critical and Strategic Minerals (PNMCE). The proposal aims to strengthen Brazil’s capacity to develop the technologies necessary for the explanation of critical and strategic minerals–an issue related to security of supply, the energy transition, and the country’s technological sovereignty. 

Research resources

As highlighted by Coppe director Professor Suzana Kahn, the new policy calls for investments in R&D&I, but it is necessary to ensure that these resources are effectively allocated to research and development focused on the minerals sector and reach the institutions and companies capable of developing these technologies.

“Wew are living in a world undergoing transformation. This technological development in the mineral sector, particularly regarding rare earths, is very important, and it is essential that we have a guarantee of investment. Coppe has systematically invested in oil and gas technologies as a result of the ANP–the National Petroleum Agency–and its R&D&I clause, which is an example of how this model works. The same should happen for this new frontier with a structure that ensures continuous functionality,” argues the director of Coppe.

The debate also highlighted the need to secure funds that have already been allocated for research in the mineral sector. Cetem Director Silvia Cristina França explained that the legislation allocates 1.8% of the revenue from the Financial Compensation for the Exploration of Mineral Resources (CFEM) to Cetem and 7% to the ANM.

Securing these funds is one of the challenges to be addressed, since the amounts previously allocated have not been fully transferred.

To illustrate the situation, Silvia reported that annual revenue from mineral production is in the range of R$ 8 billion. Under these circumstances, Cetem should receive approximately R$ 140 million per year. “Doing a rough calculation here, since the law was enacted in 2017, we should have received nearly R$ 1 billion in inflation-adjusted reais, but from 2018 until now we have received about R$ 2.5 million over that period. So, the Brazilian government needs to recognize that this is important and make these transfers,” she explained.

For Suzana, both the regularization of the transfers already planned and the establishment of mechanisms to guarantee new investments in R&D&I should be included in the proposals to be submitted to the federal government.

Under the PNMCE, the mandatory allocation to R&D&I will be at least 0.3% of gross operating revenue from activities related to critical and strategic minerals during the first six years, in addition to 0.2% earmarked for contributions to the Mineral Activity Guarantee Fund (FGAM). After this period, the minimum percentage allocated to R&D&I increases to 0.5%. The law also allows a portion of R&D&I funds to be contributed to the FGAM or to a private fund designed to encourage research, development, and innovation.

It is precisely on this point that Coppe and Cetem advocate for mechanisms that ensure funds allocated to research are effectively invested in the technological development of the Brazilian mineral sector, thereby strengthening the national companies and institutions.

Coppe and Cetem expand their cooperation

The discussion on the need to expand Brazil’s technological capacity took a concrete step forward with the signing, at the event’s opening, of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Coppe and Cetem. The agreement lays the groundwork for scientific, technological, academic, and institutional cooperation between the two institutions.

The partnership calls for the joint development of studies, research, projects, and innovative solutions related to mineral resources, with an emphasis on critical and strategic minerals and sustainable mining.

Strategic minerals are considered essential to economic development and have applications in areas such as high technology, defense, and the energy transition. Critical minerals, on the other hand, are those whose supply is subject to risks, which may be related to the geographic concentration of production, external dependence, geopolitical instability, or technological limitations.

One example is sulfur, cited by Silvia as a mineral whose supply to Brazil has been affected by the concentration of production in countries involved in conflicts, with consequences for fertilizer manufacturing.

In this context, the partnership between Coppe and Cetem aims to expand Brazil’s capacity to develop technologies for different stages of the mineral chain—from exploration and processing to transformation and waste recycling—with a special focus on rare earth elements.

Brazil has the world’s second-largest reserve of rare earth elements, estimated at 11 million metric tons, but it still needs to expand its technological capacity to transform this resource into products and processes with higher added value.

Reviving and building expertise are also among the challenges. Marisa Nascimento, coordinator of Metallurgical and Environmental Processes at Cetem, explained that Brazil has already experienced two major phases of rare earth exploration: one between the late 1990s and early 2000s, and another in 2012. Now, she said, the country is entering a third phase, but it needs to regain knowledge, resume research, and rebuild specialized teams in areas that have lost continuity due to a lack of investment.

Marisa also highlighted the importance of incorporating circularity from the very design of the mineral production chain, including the reuse of waste.

Rare earth elements are used in the manufacture of high-value-added products, such as smartphones, electric vehicles, and wind turbines. For Professor Luís Marcelo Tavares of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Program (PEMM) at Coppe, the development of this research also helps train specialists capable of working at different stages of the mineral supply chain, from geological research to the development of processes and technologies.

In addition to Luís Marcelo, who presented some of the activities carried out at the Mineral Technology Laboratory (LTM), which he coordinates, the following PEMM faculty members also participated in the presentations: Marcelo Mansur, from the Hydrometallurgical Processes Laboratory (LPH); Pedro Ribeiro, from the Applied Electrochemistry Laboratory (LEA); and Ismael Flores, from the Steel Innovation and Sustainability Laboratory (LISS). Andrea Rizzo, Cetem’s coordinator of Planning, Strategic Management, and Innovation, presented the institution’s research and development activities.

The collaboration between Coppe and Cetem thus aims to bring together complementary expertise and help Brazil advance in the development of its own technologies for minerals that are strategic to its economic and technological development.