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Seventeen rare earth elements — which most of us cannot even name, such as neodymium, praseodymium, lanthanum, and gadolinium — are in high demand and short supply.
These elements power everything from the smartphone in your pocket to electric vehicles. Rare elements are also vital for the world to transition into clean energy, inside everything from batteries to solar panels.
So, what’s the big problem? Even with about 350,000 tons of rare earth elements produced globally every year, mostly by China and Asian countries, shortages and international conflicts are on the horizon.
But America could drop its dependence on overseas suppliers — thanks to coal ash deposits spread across the states.
Key Takeaways
- The U.S. could access 11 million tons of rare earth elements from coal ash, potentially reducing the global reliance on China.
- Rare earth elements are essential for renewable energy, EVs, and high-tech industries.
- Extracting rare earth elements from coal ash in America could be worth $8.4 billion.
- Advanced separation technologies are key to unlocking coal ash’s potential.
- Finding a large source of local rare earth supplies could stabilize markets and reduce geopolitical tensions.
- Show Full Guide
University of Texas Scientific Paper Hits Rare Earth Element Jackpot
On November 19, the University of Texas in Austin released a new scientific paper that claims that America is sitting on 11 million tons of rare elements — eight times the amount it currently produces.
These 11 million tons of rare elements are hidden inside massive piles of coal ash deposits — the result of decades of burning coal for fuel.
Co-leader author of the Texas University study, Bridget Scanlon, research professor at UT’s Bureau of Economic Geology at the Jackson School of Geosciences, expressed excitement about the findings in a press release.
“This really exemplifies the ‘trash to treasure’ mantra.
“We’re basically trying to close the cycle and use waste and recover resources in the waste while at the same time reducing environmental impacts.”
We spoke to Dr. Leslie Dewan, a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from MIT, a National Geographic Explorer, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
“This study is an exciting step forward, showing evidence for a sustainable way to address two pressing issues: the need for rare earth elements and the environmental burden of coal ash waste,” Dr. Dewan said.
“By unlocking the hidden value in coal ash, we can turn an environmental liability into a powerful asset for clean energy and high-tech industries.”
U.S. Sectors Poised for Dramatic Impacts if ‘Rare Becomes Abundant’
The U.S. relies almost entirely on rare earth importers (largely China) to meet its production demands. This has led to various geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions, as well as increased import-export regulations, prohibitions, and rare earth material price surges.
However, the University of Texas says with as much as 11 million tons of rare earth elements accessible in the U.S. — estimated to be worth $8.4 billion if extracted — this scenario could change.
We asked Dr. Dewan what technology sectors would be impacted the most if these untapped sources of American rare earth elements were to be successfully extracted.
“The renewable energy, electric vehicle, and consumer electronics industries would see the most significant impact,” Dr. Dewan said.
“Rare earth elements are indispensable for manufacturing wind turbine components, EV motors, and high-performance magnets in electronics. It could also spur growth in emerging technologies such as next-generation battery systems.”
From Trash to Treasure: Extraction Technologies, Challenges & Advancements
Naturally, the amount of rare earth elements available in a pile of coal ash is extremely low when compared to traditional mining. However, when all coal ash stockpiles in the U.S. are added, the levels skyrocket.
The co-author of the University of Texas study, Davin Bagdonas, a research scientist at the University of Wyoming, said:
“There’s huge volumes of this stuff all over the country. And the upfront process of extracting the (mineral host) is already taken care of for us.”
Most of the work around rare earth element extraction is still in the research phase.
Bagdonas is already extracting rare earth elements from the Powder River Basin coal ash working in a pilot project at the National Energy Technology Lab.
Element USA, a mineral extraction company connected to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, is also working on the challenges of extracting minerals from ash.
Chris Young, the chief strategy officer of Element USA, said the challenge now is to develop the workforce and operations needed to extract rare earth elements and other materials from coal ash and other mining byproducts. Young spoke about tailings in the press release:
“The idea of getting rare earth elements out of tailings (mining by-products) just makes a lot of sense. It’s a common-sense approach. The challenge is to convert that common-sense approach to an economic approach.”
We spoke to Dr. Dewan about the technology needed to transform coal ash trash into rare earth metal treasure.
“Transforming coal ash into a reliable source of rare earth elements will require advanced separation and extraction technologies,” Dr. Dewan said.
“Techniques like solvent extraction, ion exchange, and electrochemical refinement are promising, especially when tailored to the unique composition of coal ash.
“Additionally, scalable systems for collecting, processing, and refining coal ash will be crucial to making this approach commercially viable and environmentally sustainable,” Dr. Dewan said.
Rare Earth Geopolitics & the Potential Shake-Ups of Supply Chain
Dr. Dewan from Critically Capital Advisors told Techopedia that the impact on global supply chains and geopolitical tensions if the U.S. extracts rare elements from coal ash would also be significant.
“Using coal ash as a source of rare earth elements would diversify supply chains, lessening dependence on countries that currently dominate rare earth production,” Dr. Dewan said.
“By creating new sources, particularly in regions with significant coal ash reserves, we could have the potential to stabilize markets and reduce supply chain vulnerabilities.”
Dr. Dewan added that this could shift the narrative from scarcity to abundance, with the potential for far-reaching benefits for global cooperation and trade.
Sitting on 11 million tons of rare earth elements is an extraordinary finding. However, it’s too early in the game to claim victory.
Extracting elements from tailings — the left-over materials from an industrial process — in this case, coal ash is easier said than done.
Extraction is technically complex, still in development, can be very costly, not very environmentally friendly if improperly managed, and incredibly energy intensive.
The Bottom Line
Naturally, if extraction of rare elements from coal ash technology becomes available, accessible, and efficient, other countries, such as India, China, and Japan, could jump into the new trash-to-treasure game. These countries are still burning coal at high rates and also have decades of coal ash stockpiles.
Globally, the amount of rare earth elements that can be recovered from coal ash could change industries and the world.
From the price of rare earth elements — which could drop sharply — to their availability, a sharp influx of millions of added tons would accelerate technological development and smooth out the path to clean energy.
Today, the U.S. is still far from this hypothetical and utopian rare earth element abundant future. However, the country and the world could be one step closer to carving an original path to access rare earth elements, changing global supply chains forever.
