U.S. Dept. Of Energy Awards $1.95 Million For Conceptual Designs For Rare Earth Mineral Extraction From Coal Sources, Including 4 PA Projects

On October 5, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy selected 13 projects to receive approximately $1.95 million in federal funding to develop conceptual designs of commercially viable technologies that will extract rare earth elements (REEs) from U.S. coal and coal by-product sources. 

Four of the projects funded are in Pennsylvania--

-- Concurrent Technologies Corporation (Johnstown, PA)

-- Tetra Tech, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) Project 1

-- Tetra Tech, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) Project 2

-- Winner Water Services Inc. (Sharon, PA)

Each project will receive up to $150,000 in DOE funding. 

The conceptual designs will include system configurations, equipment features, performance characteristics, and associated costs for systems that produce at least 1–3 metric tons per day of mixed rare earth oxides (REOs) or rare earth salts (RESs) and other critical minerals (CMs) in some designs.

A secure, reliable, and sustainable domestic supply of CMs and REEs is essential to the continued health of the Nation’s energy and electronics industries and is an important contributor to national security. 

DOE’s Critical Minerals Sustainability Program (previously called the Feasibility of Recovering Rare Earth Elements Program) has demonstrated the technical feasibility of extracting these resources from coal-based materials. 

The program has moved into bench-scale and engineering-scale prototype materials processing to address scale-up challenges and opportunities. The selected projects will accelerate the advancement of these commercially viable technologies.

DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory will manage the projects.

The conceptual designs of each project include an option for up to a $2 million feasibility study. 

This study will support an Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering Class 4 cost estimate on the conceptual facilities that are capable of producing at least 1–3 metric tons per day of a minimum of 75 percent mixed REOs or RESs by weight and other CMs in some designs.

Visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s DOE’s Critical Minerals Sustainability Program to learn more about the program.

NewsClips:

-- Rare, Valuable Elements Extracted In Hazleton

-- Pentagon Request Could Boost Rare Earth Mining Industry In U.S.

-- How Coal Mine Waste Could Help Build Your Next Phone

-- Rare Earth Elements: Potential New Industry For WV & PA

-- Recovery Of Rare Earth Elements From Acid Mine Drainage

-- Penn State Launches Center For Critical Minerals

Related Articles:

-- New Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Turns Waste Into Valuable Rare Earth Minerals

-- DOE Grant To Penn State Continues Research Into Rare-Earth Elements Extraction From Coal [2017]

-- Study Will Determine Amount Of Rare Earth Elements In Coal Mining Waste [2016]

[Posted: October 6, 2020]  PA Environment Digest