Coal waste to critical minerals- A game changing opportunity

The transition to green energy will require scaling up of the world’s production and processing of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, copper and rare earth elements. These strategic minerals are essential ingredients of renewable technologies like electric vehicles Batteries , solar panels, and wind turbines.

A recent report from the International Energy Agency estimates that overall demand for critical minerals will increase by a factor of 6 as the world works to achieve climate goals. The report makes it clear that there is currently a mismatch between climate ambitions and the future availability of critical minerals. Further, these supply issues will likely be compounded by the fact that these strategic minerals are spatially concentrated in a small number of countries. Indeed, China has largely cornered the critical minerals market, controlling over 60% of the global production and processing capacity.

Extraction of critical minerals from coal waste products like fly ash, coal rejects, and acid mine drainage has emerged as a game changing strategy. For example, the U.S. has funded numerous research and pilot projects that aim to extract rare earth elements from acid mine drainage

In India, A study in North Eastern coalfield shows that 714.7 ug/L amounts of critical minerals such as rare earth elements are found in acid mine drainage.

This is comparable to the concentrations in the United States where this technology is reaching commercial stages. Another study in Jharia coalfield has shown the presence of critical minerals such as Copper (32.3 ug/L) and Nickel (17.6 ug/L). This shows the promising presence of critical minerals in the Indian coal fields.