Penn State’s Center For Critical Minerals To Receive $2.1 Million Grant To Build Pilot Plant To Recover Rare Earth Elements, Other Critical Minerals From Acid Mine Drainage

By Jimi Werner, Penn State News

On February 3, Penn State’s Center for Critical Minerals announced it will receive $2.1 million in federal funding to design, build and test a modular pilot-scale research and development unit intended to recover vital rare earth elements and other critical minerals from Pennsylvania acid mine drainage and other environmental sources.  

These minerals are prevalent in essential components of everyday life, including batteries, cellphones, automobiles, appliances and electronic devices. 

Critical minerals also play a central role in defense and homeland security applications, making them vital to national security and domestic economic growth.  

Funding for the pilot system was supported by U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).  

“I secured this community project funding for Penn State because this cutting-edge project to extract critical minerals from acid mine drainage presents Pennsylvania with a rare opportunity to assume national leadership in an industry growing more important by the day,” said Casey. “Thanks to $2.1 million from the fiscal year 2023 spending bill, Penn State can move forward with innovative research that could help grow our economy, protect our environment, and safeguard our national security.” 

The pilot system will help extract these much sought-after resources, provide environmental benefits, and show the viability of a full-scale plant to help Pennsylvania become a leader in this burgeoning industry.  

“This endeavor would produce the critical minerals necessary to end our dependence on Chinese and other foreign-sourced materials, thereby shoring up our national security,” said Reschenthaler. “Further, the project would have environmental benefits, including remediation of acid mine drainage, reclamation of abandoned mine lands, and reclamation of mineral processing and metallurgical waste dumps.” 

Pennsylvania is in a unique position to leverage its considerable unconventional and secondary sources from coal and other energy-based waste to help create a diverse and resilient domestic critical mineral supply that supports the creation of new jobs, spurs industry and private investment, and advances the development of an independent energy future. 

“This project demonstrates the power of industry-university partnerships in addressing some of the most challenging problems facing society, and in this case, represents a win-win-win situation for the environment, for supplying critical minerals, and for job creation,” said Lee Kump, the John Leone Dean of Penn State's College of Earth Mineral Sciences. “Our ability to advance these efforts is directly the result of strong support from Reps. Reschenthaler and Thompson and Sen. Casey.” 

(Reprinted from Penn State News)

Related Articles:

-- Penn State Center For Critical Minerals Develops New Process To Extract Rare Earth Oxides From Abandoned Mine Drainages, Sludges  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Calls For Taking Next Step To Demonstrate Technology For Recovery Of Rare Earth & Critical Minerals From Mine Drainage, Coal Refuse - Build A Processing Facility  [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Seize The Rare Opportunity To Resolve Toxic Mine Drainage - By Robert Hughes, Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation  [PaEN]

-- New Sensor Can Detect Valuable Rare Earth Elements In Mine Drainage, Other Non-Traditional Sources  [PaEN]

[February 4, 2023]  PA Environment Digest