Sustainability and coal mining do not typically go hand in hand, but a project at the University of Kentucky is offering an opportunity to bring the two together.
At least that is the hope of Jack Groppo and Jim Hower, researchers at the UK Centre for Applied Energy Research (CAER), where they are locating and evaluating rare earth elements (REEs) found in coal and processing coal byproducts.
REEs are a series of 17 elements within the Earth’s crust. Due to their unique chemical properties, REEs are essential components of technologies spanning a range of applications, including smartphones, batteries and defence technologies.
They are also used in renewable energy technologies, like wind turbines and solar panels.
Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd (LON:RBW) is a mining company focussed on production from, and expansion of, the high grade Gakara Rare Earth Project in Burundi, East Africa. With in-situ grades in the range of 47-67% Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO), Gakara is one of the world’s richest rare earth deposits.