U.S. Coal Waste Holds Potential for $100 Billion in Rare Earth Elements, Reducing Reliance on Imports
A 2024 study by geoscientists at the University of Texas at Austin estimates that coal ash from U.S. coal-fired power stations could contain nearly $100 billion worth of feasibly extractable rare earth elements (REEs). These 17 invaluable metals are crucial for modern technologies, including computers, planes, cars, solar panels, batteries, and wind turbines, as well as medical and defense applications. Currently, the U.S. imports approximately 70 percent of its REE supply from China, which accounts for about 70 percent of global REE production and 90 percent of heavy rare earth processing. The U.S. has only one major operational REE mine in California, contributing 16 percent to the global supply, but lacks national processing capabilities. The concentration of REEs in coal ash is up to 10 times higher than in unburned coal, offering a readily available source of these critical materials. The estimated 11 million U.S. tons of REEs in accessible coal ash is almost eight times the amount in domestic reserve... 
