Pilot plants in Odisha set to extract valuable rare earth elements from industrial wastes

Fly ash and red mud — the two major industrial wastes Odisha is grappling with — could possibly be transformed into valuable resources, as research and development initiatives have identified rare earth elements and other high-value materials in coal and bauxite residues.

Pilot plants have been established in Odisha to process bituminous coal fly ash for the recovery of multiple value-added products and to explore the valorisation of bauxite residue, commonly known as red mud. These initiatives have been supported by National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), the Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Union Ministry of Mines.

In a statement, NALCO said it has strengthened its R&D initiatives through strategic collaborations with leading national research institutions for developing scalable and commercially viable solutions for industrial residue valorisation and critical mineral recovery.