A mineral is classified as "critical" when it is economically important AND faces significant supply risk. The EU's Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA 2023) lists 34 critical raw materials including lithium, cobalt, nickel, REEs, graphite, manganese, and PGMs. The US DOE and IEA maintain similar lists. The key criteria are: (1) high economic importance to clean energy and defence applications, (2) high supply concentration risk (e.g., China produces 85% of REEs, DRC produces 72% of cobalt), and (3) limited substitutability in key applications. KDMine covers all minerals on the EU, US, and IEA critical minerals lists.

Battery chemistry is evolving rapidly and will significantly reshape critical mineral demand. Key trends: (1) LFP (LiFePO₄) growth reduces cobalt and nickel demand but increases lithium and graphite demand. LFP now represents 45% of EV battery production. (2) LMFP (lithium manganese iron phosphate) is emerging as a high-energy LFP variant, driving manganese demand. (3) Solid-state batteries (2028–2032 commercialisation) will increase lithium demand but may reduce graphite demand. (4) Sodium-ion batteries could partially substitute lithium for stationary storage. KDMine's demand model tracks 12 battery chemistries to 2040.

Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) is a group of technologies that selectively extract lithium from brines without the traditional 18-month evaporation pond process. DLE technologies include ion exchange (IX), adsorption (Li-selective sorbents), and membrane-based methods. Commercial status as of 2026: Lilac Solutions and EnergySource have demonstrated commercial-scale IX DLE. Standard Lithium's SiFT process is in advanced pilot. Livent (now Arcadium) operates commercial DLE at Fenix, Argentina. DLE offers 80–90% lithium recovery (vs. 40–50% for evaporation ponds), 90% smaller footprint, and year-round operation. KDMine provides DLE technology selection, feasibility, and CAPEX/OPEX estimation for brine projects.

Critical mineral offtake agreements typically include: (1) Product specification — battery-grade vs. technical-grade, with detailed chemistry specs (e.g., LiOH ≥56.5%, Na ≤0.006%). (2) Pricing mechanism — index-linked (Fastmarkets, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence), fixed price, or hybrid formula with floor/cap. (3) Volume — take-or-pay vs. take-and-pay, with annual quantity schedules. (4) Term — typically 5–10 years for battery-grade products, with options to extend. (5) Responsible sourcing — OECD Due Diligence, RMI RMAP audit requirements increasingly standard. KDMine advises on all aspects of offtake structuring and has supported 15+ critical mineral offtake negotiations.

The EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), in force since May 2024, sets binding targets: by 2030, the EU must extract at least 10% of its annual consumption of strategic raw materials domestically, process at least 40% domestically, and recycle at least 25%. It also limits single-country supply to 65% for any strategic raw material. For mining projects, the CRMA creates: (1) Fast-track permitting (24 months for extraction, 12 months for processing) for Strategic Projects. (2) Access to EU funding and financing support. (3) Mandatory supply chain due diligence for EU buyers. KDMine helps projects achieve EU Strategic Project status and navigate CRMA compliance requirements.