What is common in Gorny laptops with smartphones and a piece of charcoal? The answer is not as simple as it seems: rare earth elements. These are important components of modern technologies, from iPhones to missiles, and everything in between. And although they can be found all over the world, to highlight them incredibly hard and even harder to get them from their matrices (usually of clay or other geological deposits) without the use of harsh chemicals or other methods that are considered harmful to the environment. Added to this problem is the fact that most rare earth elements are taken in China, leaving other countries somehow to cope with their deficits.
A new study has shown that it may be possible the extraction of rare earth elements from coal by washing of coal is unnecessary in the chemical solution.
“As a rule, rare earth elements adhere to the surface of the molecules found in coal, and we use a special solution to dislodge it says Pisupati Sarma, the author of the work. We experimented with many solvents to find one that will be both expensive and environmentally friendly”.
Their solution of ammonium sulfate (which is a known fertilizer) can remove 0.5% of rare earth elements from coal and Pisupati I am sure that eventually the percentage will reach 2, and this is already enough to produce decent amounts of rare earth elements from coal, which is not suitable for use in power plants.
Extracting rare earth elements from the land of cheap and environmentally friendly way is a long — standing goal to strive for scientists and countries around the world. Chile recently announced initiatives to reduce damage to Land during extraction of rare earth elements. Other scientists are trying to extract rare earth elements from plants, and some companies treat the seabed as a source of rare earth elements.
The coal industry faces its own challenges, the demand for coal decreases, as the closure of coal power plants and coal mines in the face of serious environmental problems. Search for other applications of this resource, which does not involve combustion, it may be necessary for areas that are trying to find a use for the mined coal.