NEW COMPETITIVE AGREEMENT, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, 2707-1550 NEW AWARD DE-FOA-0002707(MINER) PROJECT TITLE: CARBON-NEGATIVE MINING FROM GANGUE MINERALS ENABLED BY ENERGY-EFFICIENT ELECTROSYNTHESIS OF ACID AND BASE THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO DEVELOP CARBON-NEGATIVE MINING OF CRITICAL ELEMENTS (MN, CO, NI, CU, ETC.) FROM GANGUE MINERALS. JOHNS HOPKINS CONCEPT IS BASED ON THE ELECTROSYNTHESIS OF ACID (HCL) AND BASE (NAOH) VIA SALT SPLITTING AND USING RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY AS THE POWER SOURCE. THE PRODUCED HCL IS USED TO LEACH TARGETED METALS FROM LOW-GRADE MINERALS SUCH AS OLIVINE, BRUCITE, SERPENTINE AND CHALCOPYRITE. MEANWHILE, NAOH WILL BE USED TO CAPTURE CO2 FROM AIR TO GENERATE NA2CO3. RECOMBINATION OF THE METAL CHLORIDES WITH NA2CO3 WILL SUBSEQUENTIALLY PRECIPITATE (MN, CO, NI, CU)CO3 AND (MG, FE)CO3, WITH THE FORMER BECOMING ECONOMIC ORES THAT CAN BE SUPPLIED TO REFINERIES AND THE LATTER BEING REMINERALIZED FOR CARBON SEQUESTRATION.