Critical Minerals and Materials

Program Goals

Validate the technical and economic feasibility of domestic small pilot-scale facilities to produce high purity mixed rare earth oxides and critical materials from unconventional and secondary resources such as coal, coal-based resources, and other non-traditional feedstocks.
Produce 1-3 tonnes/day of high purity mixed rare earth oxides/salts in domestic engineering prototype facilities using coal-based and alternate resources as feedstock materials

Prospecting

The Program portfolio consists of a diverse set of domestic feedstock materials that include coal, coal refuse, clay/shale over/under-burden, aqueous effluents as acid mine drainage (AMD), associated solids and precipitates resulting from AMD treatment, and power generation ash. Chemical analyses of these materials are publicly accessible in NETL’s REE-CM EDX database.

Processing

Conventional and advanced extraction, separation, recovery and purification process RD&D development is the underlying basis of NETL’s Program.

Production

Achievements to date have resulted in the design, construction and operation of three first-of-a-kind, small pilot-scale facilities producing small quantities (e.g., ~100 gm/day) of >90% (>900,000 ppm) high purity mixed rare earth oxides/salts from coal-based resources using conventional physical beneficiation and hydrometallurgical (chemical separation) processes.