The semi-annual event featured remarks from
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, Department of
Energy leaders, and material scientists and researchers from around
the world
For the third year, Wyoming played host this past week to the
world’s leading research conference focused on carbon and
coal-to-products research, the Ramaco Research Rodeo (R3). The
conference was held in Sheridan, and brought together Department of
Energy (DOE) researchers and leadership, leading carbon and
material scientists, and more, as well as appearances by the two
leading U.S. senators on the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources.
R3 was hosted by Sheridan-based carbon technology and critical
minerals company Ramaco Carbon, a subsidiary of Ramaco Resources,
Inc (NASDAQ: METC), in partnership with the International Centre
for Sustainable Carbon, a technology collaboration program
organized under the auspices of the Paris-based International
Energy Agency. Held at Sheridan College, the event’s theme was
“Coal’s Role in the Future of Energy Transition” and featured
keynote addresses by U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (Wyoming), U.S. Sen.
Joe Manchin (West Virginia), and senior leaders from both the
Department of Energy and major national laboratories.
The event was largely comprised of technical sessions by
researchers from around the world on the future role of coal in the
energy transition and its use in creating high-value products and
materials, as well as presentations on rare earth elements (REEs)
and other carbon-related research.
In his opening remarks on the event’s first day, Sen. Barrasso
praised the event for “bringing together innovative minds to
discuss energy technology and research,” and Ramaco’s work in
pioneering new uses for coal to develop higher-value products.
“I’m so proud of the work that the people of Wyoming are doing
to develop coal-to-product technologies,” said Barrasso. “We’re
finding ways to transform coal-derived carbon into everyday
materials. These materials include asphalt, graphite, carbon fiber,
and more…Wyoming has the natural resources to fuel the future… and
(with) conferences like the Research Rodeo, Wyoming is bringing
together great minds to develop innovative solutions.”
Keynote speaker Grant Bromhal, acting director of the Mineral
Sustainability Division of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office
of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, further underlined this
initiative. He highlighted the Department of Energy’s “carbon ore
processing program, where we’re looking at developing technologies
that allow us to produce valuable products, high-value and
high-volume carbon products from coal. As we do this, our primary
principles are how we use the entire resource.”
“This is what the Department of Energy is trying to do: to
enable this and many more opportunities like this to come into
play,” said Bromhal. “So we’re very excited about what’s going on
here.”
Bromhal also highlighted the recent discovery of REEs at
Ramaco’s Brook Mine outside of Sheridan, which the Department of
Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has announced
could be one of the largest unconventional deposits of magnetic
REEs in the world, used in advanced military technology, electric
vehicles, and much more.
One of the heads of this research effort, NETL geologist and
geochemist Scott Montross, noted that this discovery was extremely
promising for both Ramaco and Wyoming.
“This conference is a great venue to show how unique the Brook
Mine coal is,” said Montross. “No one can say right now if it’s
going to solve the problems of the world, but we’ve got a really
good situation here.”
In his opening remarks on the event’s second day, Sen. Manchin
said, “There is tremendous opportunity to convert coal and coal
waste into valuable materials and products needed for cutting edge
industries including graphite, metal composites and alloys,
building materials, and other high value products used in advanced
technologies, energy sectors, and industrial applications.”
Some of the research being presented at the conference, Manchin
said, “has already highlighted opportunities to manufacture
carbon-based products from coal with lower consumer costs and lower
environmental impacts, including reduced CO2 emissions, compared to
other methods of production. But we need to do more to support
these nascent coal-to-product industries in getting off the ground
until they’re in full commercial production.”
Other key R3 presenters included Mark Goulthorpe from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Andrew Minchener from the
International Centre for Sustainable Carbon, Edgar Lara-Curzio from
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Brian Davey from Australian Carbon
Innovation, Holly Krutka and John Litynski of University of
Wyoming, and Ramaco CEO and Chairman Randall Atkins.
The event also featured a special ceremony launching the
creation of a new scholarship program at Sheridan College on behalf
of the Ramaco Resources Foundation. The scholarship will support
students pursuing careers in the fields of carbon ore and rare
earth (CORE) elements, and will foster workforce training in these
strategically vital and fast-growing fields. Initial $50,000
funding for the Ramaco CORE Scholarship will be comprised of two
annual contributions of $25,000 to the college. The first
contribution was awarded to Northern Wyoming Community College
District president Dr. Walter Tribley during the ceremony by
Randall Atkins and two of Ramaco Resources board members.
For more details surrounding R3, including a full agenda, please
visit https://ramacocarbon.com/r3/. For video and imagery of the
event, please contact press@ramacometc.com.
About Ramaco Resources, Inc.
Ramaco Resources, Inc. is an operator and developer of
high-quality, low-cost metallurgical coal in southern West
Virginia, southwestern Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. Its
executive offices are in Lexington, Kentucky, with operational
offices in Charleston, West Virginia and Sheridan, Wyoming. Its
Wyoming operations include a headquarters and a development mine
near Sheridan, Wyoming. Contiguous to the Wyoming mine, the company
operates a research and pilot facility called the iCAM related to
the production of advanced carbon products and materials from coal.
It has also been involved in the exploration of rare earth elements
at its Brook Mine, and critical minerals from coal and related
formations. For more information, visit our website at
www.ramacoresources.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230717226560/en/
Sylvester Palacios, Jr. press@ramacometc.com
Ramaco Resources (NASDAQ:METC)
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