The Water Research Institute (WRI) recently initiated two
new projects that will advance the production and processing of Rare Earth Element/Critical
Material (REE/CM) concentrates from acid mine drainage (AMD). The new awards were made by the U.S. Departments
of Energy ($8MM) and Defense ($3MM) through funding supported by U.S. Senators
Joe Manchin and Capito to advance work on increasing the domestic supply of
REE/CMs
In late 2015, a team of researchers at WVU led by WRI
director Dr. Paul Ziemkiewicz conceived the idea of recovering REE/CM from AMD
– a legacy environmental issue and the single largest source of water pollution
in Appalachia. As envisioned, the
process would simultaneously treat the wastewater to discharge standards while
producing critical raw materials for technology and defense. Because REE/CM are soluble in acid, AMD
naturally leaches them out of the surrounding rock. Consequently, this process
yields a high-grade feedstock without the usual expenses and delays associated
with traditional mining, exploration, permitting and infrastructure. Also, AMD based feedstocks are exceptionally
valuable, typically containing over 50% magnet and heavy REEs.