The $1m project is backed by the US Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory grant.
As part of the project, the team, which also include representatives from five corporate partners, will develop and test a mobile processing facility which can efficiently recover the rare earth elements in coal and coal byproducts in an environmentally friendly manner.
University of Kentucky Department of Mining Engineering professor and chair Rick Honaker said: "Previous research conducted by UK scientists and others have found that the critical materials needed for renewable energy technologies, such as cell phones and other electronics, are found in coal and coal byproducts at concentrations that may be economical to recover."
During the first phase of the project, the researchers will test hydrophobic-hydrophilic separation (HHS) technology, a patented process that takes advantage of properties of water-friendly and water-repellent materials to extract rare earth elements from coal waste.
According to the US Geological Survey Coal Quality Database, the US is estimated to have 10.9 million tons of rare earth resources in coal deposits located in five western and four eastern states, including Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.
Virginia Tech advanced separation technologies center director Yoon said: "It will be good for the country if we can develop an advanced separation technology to extract the critical materials from coal as byproducts, particularly the high-value rare earths essential for advanced manufacturing industries."
The academic partners for the project include Arch Coal, Blackhawk Mining, Bowie Refining, Eriez Manufacturing and Minerals Refining Company.
House Appropriations Committee chairman US Representative Hal Rogers said: "Experimental projects, like UK’s mobile REE recovery plant, could save and create new coal-related jobs and opportunities in eastern Kentucky."
Upon successful completion of Phase I project, the researchers will work on second phase of the project to develop and test a mobile facility at different coal cleaning facilities in the central Appalachian coal field.
Image: Researchers seek ways to extract rare earth minerals from coal and coal byproducts. Photo: courtesy of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
