Geoscience BC, a nonprofit research organization, has launched a project to analyze the possibility of extracting rare earth elements (REEs) from coal deposits in British Columbia and coal tailings.
According to Geoscience, there has already been exploration of coal deposits in the United States as a potential source of REE.
Using existing information, the team led by Maria Kholushko, professor at the Institute of Mining. Norman B. Keeville at the University of British Columbia is planning to travel to East Kootenay, in the southeastern Canadian province, to sample coal deposits that the scientific literature has hypothesized to be possible sources of rare earths. p>
Once they receive the samples, the team will quantify and characterize the REEs found in them and test potential extraction processes on a laboratory scale.
In parallel, they will develop a database on the concentration of REE in coal deposits in the East Kootenay region.
“Rare earth consumption has grown rapidly with the advent of clean energy and defense technologies,” Kholushko said in a statement to the media. "Traditional deposits of rare earth ores are rapidly depleting and, according to forecasts, they will last only 15-20 years."
According to the expert, the information obtained as a result of the project will help to find “domestic” sources of REE.
