Column: Electric dreams turn into a nightmare for battery metals
A sector that was once racing to build new supply has been closing mines and deferring projects as low prices bite into the cost curve.
US scientists have found what it could be key for the future of the country’s ailing coal industry as they detected that ashes from local operations, particularly those around the Appalachian region, are very rich in rare earth elements.
Coal waste generated by Appalachian coal operations are the richest in rare earth elements.
Researchers from North Carolina-based Duke University analyzed coal ashes from coal-fired power plants throughout the US, including those in the largest coal-producing regions: the Appalachian Mountains; southern and western Illinois; and the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana.
One of the team main conclusions was that coal waste generated by the Appalachian coal operations was the richest in rare earth elements, containing 591 milligrams of the coveted elements per kilogram of ashes.
Professor Heileen (Helen) Hsu-Kim, one of the team’s leaders. (Image courtesy of Jon Gardiner | Duke Photography)
“There are literally billions of dollars’ worth of rare earth elements contained in our nation’s coal ash,” the researchers said in a statement.
“If a program were to move forward, they’d clearly want to pick the coal ash with the highest amount of extractable rare earth elements, and our work is the first comprehensive study to begin surveying the options,” they noted.
Not only rare earths are crucial to the manufacture of high-tech devices, but also to military communication systems, which is partially why the US Department of Energy recently offered $20 million to companies to solve the economic puzzle.
Previous research has focused on methods that can make the extraction or rare earths from coal waste not only financially viable, but also environmentally friendly.
3 Comments
Altaf
It looks like the future of US Mining lies in the garbage left by last two generations.
1. This article says the ash left over by yesteryears power plants is good for REEs.
2. All the tyres that accumulated in US can create a sustainable pyrolisis oil if systematically exploited. There are a billion waste tyres lying in mounds in US. If an industry that can consume a million tyres per day is created, that can produce 30,000 BPD of pyrolysis oil which can be blended with Canadian oil sands.
3. All the e-waste generated since last 50 years is excellent source of Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium (compared to 10 grams of gold in 1 ton of ore, there is 1 kilo gold in 1 ton of e-waste junk).
4. There is another possibility of repairing chemical damage done by Aluminum and Copper extraction industries in the last 50 years. The Red mud from bauxite processing consist of excessive caustic soda. The heap leach of copper ore has excessive acid. Why dont they mix up both to neutralize all the dangerous waste?
Mike Failla
I still have faith in industry in our country. We can get this done and done effectively both cost and environmentally.
go get em ladies and gentlemen. Do your nation proud!
janger
But! But! THAT’S not spose to happen…said the coal hating libbers as their heads simultaneously…EXPLODE!