Production of Critical Minerals from Coal-Based Resources

Executive Order 13817 recently listed 35 minerals deemed critical to the United States’ national security and our economy. Most of these minerals are not available to be mined from conventional sources in the United States; as a result, a mineral dependency vulnerability is created that can adversely impact our nation. A comprehensive review of the potential to extract critical minerals from unconventional sources, such as coal‐based resources, is an important step in improving the knowledge by advancing research efforts in this area. The nature of the unconventional deposits of critical minerals and extracting technologies that are limiting exploitation by our miners and producers, as described in Executive Order 13817, is not well understood. In collaboration with West Virginia University (WVU), RESPEC’s team will develop a comprehensive study of the potential to extract critical minerals from coal‐ based resources. By combining industry and academia experience, our team will build concepts for quantifying and extracting critical minerals found in unconventional sources. Our elite professionals will also provide a detailed analysis of the potential applications of these minerals in developing advancing alloys or component production that are essential toward the economy or national security of the United States. RESPEC believes that a balance of academic expertise and industry relationships will provide the Department of Energy the best value to achieve the program goals. RESPEC has a history of working with coal producers in the eastern and western United States as well as industry connections to heighten collaboration between producers and academia to identify practical data gaps. The primary benefit of this research is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential of extracting critical and strategic minerals from coal‐ based resources. Identifying critical minerals in coal‐based resources and evaluating the economic feasibility linked to extracting and processing those minerals are also important environmental benefits because of the potential to reprocess and recycle coal‐waste facilities. Understanding and quantifying critical and strategical minerals resources available from unconventional sources will also provide the basis for determining our nation’s available sources in the event of supply disruptions.