US DOE Funds Extraction of REEs from Coal
The Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, under the U.S. Department of Energy, has committed $75 million to 5 projects aimed at recovering rare earth elements and other critical minerals. The funding will be allocated under the Domestic Industrial Facilities program, with the selected projects establishing pilot-scale facilities designed to convert coal byproducts into commercially viable critical minerals, strengthening domestic processing capabilities. According to Audrey Robertson, coal and its byproducts represent an underutilized resource that could contribute significantly to U.S. industrial supply chains. The assistant secretary of energy explains that supporting these pilot projects will expand domestic critical mineral…