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Momentum Technologies CEO Testifies Before Congress on Critical Minerals Processing Solutions to Strengthen American Energy Independence

via Business Wire

Momentum Technologies (“Momentum”), a company revolutionizing critical mineral and metal recovery for key industries, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Mahesh Konduru testified today before the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, presenting the company's innovative processing technology as a solution to America's critical minerals supply chain vulnerability.

The hearing, titled "Unleashing American Energy Dominance and Exploring New Frontiers," addressed the urgent need for the development of domestic capabilities for processing critical minerals and rare earth elements essential for defense applications, artificial intelligence (AI), energy technologies including power, and advanced manufacturing.

Konduru's testimony emphasized that Momentum's proprietary Membrane Solvent Extraction (MSX®) technology offers a domestic processing solution that can help eliminate America's dangerous dependence on China for critical minerals processing. Konduru detailed how these materials are essential to America's most advanced defense systems, including F-35 fighter jets, precision-guided munitions, hypersonic actuators, drones, and next-generation autonomous systems.

At its Carrollton, TX facility, Momentum has demonstrated the ability to process critical minerals and rare earth elements such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper from mines, batteries, magnets, byproducts of coal mining, and other sources, as well as the ability to separate both light and heavy rare earths, including terbium and dysprosium – capabilities very few companies outside China have demonstrated. To sustain growth, Momentum is partnering with Texas universities to build a domestic workforce pipeline of engineers, chemists, operators, and AI-driven process specialists, training the next generation of American mineral-processing talent.

"The biggest threat to the 'mine-to-magnet' and ‘mine-to-battery’ supply chain is the processing bottleneck," Konduru told the Subcommittee. "90% of critical minerals and rare earths are separated and processed in China. This means even if the metal is mined in the U.S., it is going to China for processing, and then shipped back to the U.S. for final product generation."

In his testimony, Konduru highlighted that modular MSX plants can be permitted and built in approximately one year, versus 3-5 years for conventional processing facilities, and can be co-located directly at mines, battery plants, magnet producers, or remote defense sites. Konduru noted that this bottom-up, scalable model mirrors how China built its dominance and represents how America can catch up and surpass that approach with speed.

"We want to take China out of the equation," said Konduru. "Our focus is to deliver safe, scalable, sustainable, and commercially attractive processing technology that strengthens domestic supply resilience for critical minerals and rare earths."

Konduru urged Congress to provide catalytic government capital for the development of a network of flexible, modular processing sites rather than waiting for only mega-projects, emphasizing that targeted bipartisan support can move the U.S. from dependence on foreign adversaries to leadership in critical-minerals processing, strengthening energy security, national defense, and American innovation.

About Momentum Technologies

Momentum Technologies (Momentum) is a U.S.-based critical minerals company advancing national security and supply chain resilience through its proprietary Membrane Solvent Extraction (MSX) technology, originally developed with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with support from the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) Critical Materials Innovation Hub. Momentum has proven the ability to recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements—including both light and heavy REEs—from battery scrap, magnet swarf, and other complex feedstocks at commercial purity levels. With a successfully operating demonstration plant in Carrollton, TX and a commercial plant in development, Momentum is demonstrating rapid, low-cost, and modular scale-up. By enabling decentralized, high-purity refining in the U.S., Momentum directly supports the DOE’s critical materials strategy, the DoD’s secure supply chain priorities, and broader U.S. efforts to reduce reliance on China for rare earths and battery metals. Notable investors in Momentum Technologies include TechMet Ltd and Tailwater Capital LLC, among others. For more information, please visit momentum.technology.

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