The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News – April 5, 2023
Billions of tons of ash from more than a century of burning coal could provide the U.S. with an abundant domestic source of the rare earths and other critical minerals needed for electric vehicles and clean energy technologies
DOE has allotted $8 million to develop a process to recover valuable critical minerals from acid mine drainage while treating these acidic metal-laden waters.
Looking to develop unconventional domestic sources of the rare earths needed for America's transition to low-carbon energy and transportation, while also providing forward-leaning job opportunities for the coal miners that powered the nation for more than a century, the U.S. Department of Energy is providing $16 million for the development of a first-of-a-kind refinery that produces critical minerals from coal waste streams.
"Today's funding will support a first-in-the-nation facility that will convert legacy fossil fuel waste into a domestic source of critical minerals needed to strengthen our clean energy supply chains," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.
The U.S. relies on imports from China and other countries for more than 80% of its rare earth elements and critical minerals American manufacturers require to produce electric vehicles, clean energy technologies, smartphones, computers, medical equipment, and a wide array of other commercial goods.
Many of these critical minerals, however, are often associated with coal deposits. While the critical mineral concentrations in coal are often minuscule, the ash left behind from power generation and acid mine drainage creates much higher-grade sources of these elements.
As part of the Biden administration's "Investing in America" agenda, DOE is funding research and development of technologies to extract rare earths and other critical minerals from the billions of tons of coal waste and ash, mine tailings, acid mine drainage, and discharged water from past mining operations across the nation.
"President Biden's Investing in America agenda is helping reduce our overreliance on adversarial nations and position the country as a global manufacturing leader – while supporting communities that have helped power our nation for generations," said Granholm.
Half of the $16 million has been allotted to the University of North Dakota for the completion of a study to recover and refine rare earths and critical minerals from the waste from lignite coal mining in the northern Great Plains state.
The ultimate goal of this project is to advance technologies that enable a cost-competitive, environmentally sensitive process to produce critical minerals from the abundant coal waste in the U.S.
"Along with their industry partners and the U.S. Department of Energy, the University of North Dakota is on the cutting edge of our energy future," said Sen. Kevin Cramer (ND). "This award builds on the group's efforts to research, find, and affordably extract rare earth elements and minerals in North Dakota. The significance of developing this domestic supply chain for national and energy security cannot be overstated."
The other half of the funding is going to West Virginia University for a study on producing rare earths and other critical minerals from acid mine drainage and mine tailings.
"West Virginia University has provided a mining engineering education to generations of students for more than 150 years, helping to build a strong and innovative mining industry that powered our nation and made us a global energy leader," said Sen. Joe Manchin (WV). "This $8 million award, using funding from my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will continue that legacy and help to develop the energy technologies of the future with a first-of-its-kind facility to extract and separate rare earth elements and critical minerals from acid mine drainage and mine waste."
Acid mine drainage occurs when mining exposes sulfide-containing minerals, which react to air and water to form sulfuric acid. While this process sometimes occurs naturally, it can be more pronounced after mining if the exposed sulfides are not cut off from sources of water and air. These acidic waters often carry critical minerals that could be recovered, while also helping the environment through the treatment of the water.
"By deploying this innovative technology to reclaim water from mining waste, we will ensure that we are producing these materials in the cleanest way possible while addressing environmental liabilities," Manchin added.
Over the next 15 months, the detailed engineering and cost studies being carried out at the University of North Dakota and West Virginia University will solidify plans for the development of economically-viable and environmentally-sound processes to extract, separate, and produce rare earth elements and critical minerals from America's vast quantities of mining wastes.
Following completion of the two $8 million studies and a technical review, these projects will have the opportunity to apply for a second phase of funding for construction and operation of a demonstration-scale rare earths and critical minerals extraction and separation refinery.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
Reader Comments(0)