(658c) Identification of Optimum Coal Byproducts for Recovery of Rare Earths

The United States has the world’s largest coal reserves. The lanthanides can be valuable products from abundant domestic coal and coal byproducts. There are numerous coal and coal byproduct resources, including coals, bottom ash, fly ash, coal preparation materials, miming wastes, and stored or ponded ashes. The characteristics that define the best resources, including availability; abundance; concentration of the rare earths and other critical elements; ease of extraction; production of co-products; and co-benefits such as environmental remediation, location, and transportation will be outlined, and a first attempt at identification of the best domestic coal and byproducts for recovery of the lanthanides will be made.

Disclaimer

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.