The US Department of Energy has allocated $32 million for the design and construction of rare earths and rare earths extraction facilities from hard coal and waste. While the US imports more than 80% of the rare earths and rare earths the economy needs, the country’s coal reserves are enormous. It is desirable that the authorities protect the coal mining industry and use this fossil resource.

Coal and coal waste contain a wide variety of valuable rare earth elements that can be converted into components for the production of products based on clean energy technologies. Currently, the United States has more than 250 billion tons of coal reserves, more than 4 billion tons of coal waste, and about 2 billion tons of coal ash at various facilities across the country. From this wealth (or garbage, as is customary today), it is necessary to learn to extract more than 50% (by mass) of rare earth elements and rare minerals and materials.

Also, the goal is to learn how to extract rare earth elements in their pure form or as binary compounds (salts), while the extraction of rare minerals is a secondary and optional goal. The purity of the resulting concentrate should be at least 75% by weight, but ideally 98% by weight or higher, and further converted into pure or binary compounds of rare earth elements with a concentration of 90% by weight.

The ministry aims to finance two levels of installation: intermediate level and demonstration. The intermediate plant should produce 30 to 100 tonnes of mixed rare earth oxide/salt per year and the demonstration plant 1 to 3 tonnes of similar product per day. Projects will only be financed if applicants justify the economic feasibility of using the facilities provided and guarantee decent working conditions, inclusiveness and environmental safety for workers.