The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - July 14, 2023
The ash left behind from the burning of coal offers a potential domestic source of gallium, germanium, rare earths, and other minerals critical to America's clean energy and tech sectors.
The $32 million in funding offered by the U.S. Department of Energy is focused on recovering critical minerals such as the rare earths pictured above from coal waste products.
Seeking to leverage the ash and other byproducts from a fuel that powered America through the 20th century, the U.S. Department of Energy is awarding $32 million to help launch projects that will recover rare earth elements and other critical minerals from coal ash and waste.
Coal deposits often have trace amounts of gallium, germanium, rare earths, and other minerals critical to the United States. While the concentrations of these high-tech metals are typically too low for economic recovery, burning the coal transforms trace quantities into potential ore – and more than a century of burning coal to generate affordable power has produced an estimated 2 billion tons of coal ash at various sites across the country.
American manufacturers need the critical minerals found in this coal ash to produce electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, smartphones, computers, medical equipment, and a wide array of other commercial goods. The U.S., however, is heavily dependent on imports from China and others for its supply.
The risk of this critical minerals import reliance was underscored by China's recently announced plans to restrict exports of gallium and germanium.
The U.S. is 100% dependent on imports for its gallium needs and China produces 98% of the global supply. This leaves American manufactures with few alternatives for this ingredient in semiconductors used in smartphones, telecommunication networks, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), thin-film solar cells, and medical devices.
To help break this reliance, DOE is awarding funds provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for projects focused on recovering critical minerals from coal ash and other waste products found across the country.
"President Biden's Investing in America agenda is providing a historic opportunity to convert coal products into the critical materials needed to build an array of clean energy products," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.
DOE, which has supported several projects aimed at recovering critical minerals from coal waste and other unconventional sources, is offering an additional $32 million in funding for front-end engineering and design (FEED) studies for the recovery of critical minerals and materials from coal-based resources.
This program is focused on research and development projects that support the advancement of intermediate- to demonstration-scale facilities for domestic production and refining of rare earths and other critical minerals
The FEED studies will establish and define technical requirements focused on project scope, schedule, and costs, and reduce risk during the construction and operation of the future facilities.
The Biden administration's energy department sees the recovery of critical minerals from coal waste and other unconventional sources as a win-win for the nation.
In addition to providing the U.S. with a domestic source of high-tech metals, these sources will provide coal mining towns with new energy transition economic opportunities.
"The President's transformative investments will strengthen our national security by lessening our dependence on international supply chains, while delivering high-quality jobs and healthier communities for all Americans," Granholm said.
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.
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