US can share mineral tracing tech with PNG to meet ‘clean minerals’ security demand

The United States possesses the capability to transfer high-tech geochemical tools to Papua New Guinea (PNG), enabling the nation to independently verify its minerals as "clean" and traceable without depending on U.S. laboratories. This development comes as U.S. national security increasingly relies on such traceable resources.

Aaron Goodman, an assistant professor and geochemist at the Colorado School of Mines, explained that new isotopic analysis and nanoscale detection methods are crucial for proving mineral provenance. PNG, with significant copper and nickel mining operations, will need these tools to meet buyer demands in the global market.

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These are analyses that are high tech and state of the art, but they’re not impossible to translate.

Goodman stated that PNG would not "always have to send samples to Colorado or US labs and stay dependent." He emphasized that the techniques developed in his lab, including isotopic tracing and nanoscale particle analysis, are transferable. "These are analyses that are high tech and state of the art, but they’re not impossible to translate," he said.

"That’s one of the biggest goals I have as a researcher… to translate our techniques out into the world so that everybody can use them," Goodman added, underscoring the commitment to sharing this advanced technology globally.

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That’s one of the biggest goals I have as a researcher… to translate our techniques out into the world so that everybody can use them.