Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute housed at WVU's Energy Institute and the principal investigator of the rare-earth minerals research program.
Morgantown, W.Va. -- Recent events have signified the importance
of having U.S. domestic supply chains. The United States is import-reliant on
critical minerals and rare earth elements used in cell phones, electric
vehicles, energy technologies, and even our country’s national defense.
Diversification of sources of critical minerals and rare earth elements is a critical component of reestablishing a domestic supply chain.The U.S. Department of Energy is developing the enabling technologies for future commercial facilities specifically designed for extraction, beneficiation, processing, separation and metallization.
WVU’s Rare Earth Extraction Facility produces highly-concentrated rare earth products from coal mine drainage. This sample is 87 percent rare earth oxide. Photo: WVU/Chris Vass
The DOE will hold a webinar at 2:30 p.m. today (Aug. 25) on the use of carbon ore, refuse, ash and acid mine drainage for the production of critical minerals and rare earth elements. Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute housed at the Energy Institute, is a featured speaker. Ziemkiewicz will highlight WRI’s research in extracting rare earth elements from coal mine drainage. More information and registration can be found at this link.
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