Could coal ash be a viable source of rare-earth metals?

Rare earths are valuable, too. They have unique

properties that make them useful in modern energy and electronic products. Electric vehicles and wind turbines need high-performance electric motors and generators, which in turn require strong magnets made

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of neodymium and dysprosium. Yttrium, terbium and europium are key to energy-efficient color displays on laptop, cellphone and TV screens. Lanthanum is crucial to high-quality camera lenses, and cerium acts as a catalyst in automotive catalytic converters. Researchers are looking for alternatives and substitutes, but it's not clear there are any.

Most rare earths – 85 percent of the world's supply – are produced in China. The last U.S. rare-earth mine closed in 2015, leaving the country dependent on imports – and vulnerable when, as happened in 2010, China stopped all rare-earth exports in a trade conflict.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-09-coal-ash-viable-source-rare-earth.html#jCp