UND Research Project the Next Boom for North Dakota?

A college research project could lead to a booming line of work in North Dakota

UND’s College of Engineering and Mines will be working on extracting rare Earth elements.

The metals are used in things like cell phones, rechargeable batteries and florescent lighting.

There is a high demand for the metals and it could create a lot of jobs.

The research project was given a federal grant of nearly $1 million.

It is still in its first phase where researchers determine its practicality.

“Yea, this is something new in terms of looking into rare earth elements though. So it’s exciting to bring in a new area with some really promising potential.” says UND research engineer, Dan Laudal.

The research group plans to start the project’s first stage in February.

If successful after the first two phases of study, the project will go onto commercial scale.