19 Observations on mining and refining of critical minerals

1. Episode · Jul 29, 2026

   Observation Twelve – Battery Recycling and Black Mass: The Broken Cycle of Independence (opens the original)

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   Battery recycling is widely promoted as a path toward circularity, critical-mineral security and greater industrial independence. But collecting spent lithium-ion batteries and processing them into black mass does not necessarily return those materials to domestic manufacturing. In this episode of 19 Observations on the Mining and Refining of Critical Materials , we examine what happens when black mass leaves the country where batteries were collected and enters China’s recovery and refining sys

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2. Episode · Jul 16, 2026

   Observation Eleven – The Duty of The Sovereign (opens the original)

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   Critical minerals are at the center of the global race for industrial leadership, national security, battery manufacturing, and the energy transition. But why do so many strategic mineral projects still depend on commercial demand before they can be financed, refined, and brought into production? In this episode of 19 Observations on the Mining and Refining of Critical Materials , we explore the hidden difference between strategic supply chains and commercial supply chains , and why confusing th

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