Loading ...The breakthrough that could save an ailing coal industry?
A group of researchers from Penn State, led by the US Department of Energy (DOE) has discovered that rare earth elements can be extracted from two coal by-products through an ion-exchange process.
The new mineral processing technique has the potential to challenge the current Chinese dominance on global rare earth production, as it makes the extraction not only cost-effective, but also environmentally friendly.
“We have known for many decades that rare-earth elements are found in coal seams and near other mineral veins,” said Sarma Pisupati, professor of energy and mineral engineering at Penn State. “However, it was costly to extract the materials and there was relatively low demand until recently,” he said in a statement.
The team said they wanted to take a fresh look at the feasibility of extracting REEs, from coal given the fossil fuel abundance in the country.
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