Billions in rare earth elements may be hiding in America’s coal ash

Coal ash, red mud, and mine tailings are usually treated as major waste problems. Yet these enormous waste streams also contain valuable materials, including silica, rare earth elements, and other critical minerals.

A research team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has received a $3.3 million award from the National Science Foundation's Growing Convergence Research program to investigate whether biological strategies used by diatoms, sea sponges, and plants could help recover those resources with less energy and fewer harsh chemicals.

The five-year, two-phase effort is being led by Mingjiang Tao, associate professor in the WPI Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering. Professors Carrick Eggleston and Yan Wang are serving as co-principal investigators. Researchers from George Mason University, the University of California San Diego, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the University at Buffalo will also contribute.