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studies show that coal may be an excel-
lent source of higher value heavy rare
earth elements. If the currently funded
Phase I project is successful, researchers
will seek $6 million in Phase II funding
that will involve construction and testing
of a mobile facility to be tested at differ-
ent coal cleaning facilities in the central
Appalachian coal field. For more infor-
mation: Roe-Hoan Yoon, 540.231.7056,
, .
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 Professor
Roe-Hoan Yoon.
The best known source of the
heavy rare earths is the clay from the
Jiangxi Province, South China. But
those resources are expected to be
exhausted within 20 years, while recent
Virginia Tech engineers developed a way to extract valuable rare earth minerals from coal
and coal byproducts. Eventually they hope to construct a mobile pilot plant in Southwest
Virginia.
communities, found in biofilms on the
grains of platinum group minerals at
three separate locations around the
world, with the dispersion and recon-
centration of these elements in surface
environments. We’ve shown that nug-
gets of platinum and related metals
can be reformed at the surface through
bacterial processes.” For more informa-
tion: Frank Reith, 61.8.8303.8469,
,
.
COAL COULD HOLD KEY TO
DOMESTIC RARE MINERALS
With supplies growing scarce of
essential materials needed to make
products ranging from smart phones
to windmills, researchers at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State Uni-
versity (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, are
working with academic and industry
partners on a $1 million pilot project to
recover rare earth elements from coal.
Funded in part by a U.S. Department
of Energy National Energy Technology
Laboratory grant, engineers will test
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