Energy Capital Economic Development has opened a US$3M coal commercialisation facility to develop and evaluate the viability of nonfuel, low- or zero-emissions products made from coal.  

The innovation centre hosts several demonstration sites for pilot plants, located in the coal-rich “Carbon Valley” region of Wyoming in the USA. The facility will start with a focus on the extraction of rare earth elements (REEs) found in coal fly ash. 

Rare earth elements play an essential role in global clean energy development and are widely used in both national defence and high-tech products such as health care devices, rechargeable batteries, permanent magnets, and oil refining catalysts. However, concerns around the supply for the suite of elements centred around the dominance of China have underpinned research focusing on substitutes for rare earths, but these tend to be at a cost of performance. As a result, a renewed focus is on new, sustainable, and alternative sources of these critically listed metals, in the light of expected demand from electrification trends. 

Several studies have zoomed in on the recovery of REEs and other critical minerals from coal-related materials, primarily coal refuse, acid coal mine drainage and coal combustion ash (coal fly ash). If not recycled, coal byproducts like coal ash usually are abandoned in ponds and landfills that have considerable costs to clean up. These coal byproduct studies also come at a time when coal demand is slowly being hampered by the transition to more clean energy supplies. Therefore, REE extraction from coal not only provides a nonfuel application for the coal industry but also opens the potential for reusing and sequestering carbon dioxide. 

All in all, research so far has shown some promising results, able to produce high-purity REE concentrates using a combination of various physical beneficiation techniques and chemical treatments from a low starting grade. However, at this stage coal only holds a promise as an economic source of REEs, with significant research and development required to achieve optimum results at minimum costs and low environmental impact.