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Critical Materials
What are critical materials?
The U.S. Department of Energy defines critical materials as "any substance used in technology that is subject to supply risks, and for which there are no easy substitutes."
Polymer Use in Water Treatment
Why is acid mine drainage important to the critical materials division?
Minerals and various other geological materials are extracted from the Earth through mining on a daily basis. West Virginia leads the nation in mining statistics with over 144 million tons of minerals produced in 2009 alone. Based on these statistics, it is no surprise that the West Virginia Water Research Institute is dedicated to the study of minerals as well as rare Earth recovery. Such a high level of success with mining can have negative effects on our environment. In attempts to combat these negative effects, the West Virginia Water Research Institute created an acid mine drainage treatment plant that would assist the Rare Earth Recovery Project.
News
A Toxic Pit Could Be a Gold Mine for Rare-Earth Elements
Paul Ziemkiewicz contributes to reporting from The New York Times about opportunities in acid mine drainage for extracting valuable metals.
Read More: A Toxic Pit Could Be a Gold Mine for Rare-Earth ElementsBerkeley Pit ‘a unique opportunity’ for rare earth elements
Legislative committee urges federal government to invest in extracting the minerals needed for many high-tech devices.
Read More: Berkeley Pit ‘a unique opportunity’ for rare earth elementsWVU Researcher Says Rare Earth Minerals Key to State's Future
MORGANTOWN — With steam coal being replaced by natural gas and renewables, and a slowdown in metallurgical coal mining for steelmaking, a researcher at West Virginia University sees another use for the state’s coal mines. Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute at WVU, spoke to members of the press Monday at WVU’s Academic Media Day in Morgantown. The institute is part of WVU’S Energy Institute. Ziemkiewicz’ presentation focused on a possible use for West Virginia’s coal mines as sources for rare earth elements. These elements are used in the manufacture of electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, computers, and other modern technologies. Rare earth elements are also used in many clean-energy technologies, such as wind turbines and electric vehicles. Magnets produced from rare earth elements are used for military applications. In the last several years, the search for rare earth minerals has become more important as consumers, governments, scientists and the military rely more on technological devices. According to the Rare Earth Technology Alliance, 17 elements are considered rare earth elements.
Read More: WVU Researcher Says Rare Earth Minerals Key to State's Future