As part of the Waste2CRM project, we are continuing our work on developing effective methods for recovering critical raw materials from coal mining waste.
This time, the activities are being carried out within WP4: Research and development of hydrometallurgical methods for effective recovery of critical raw materials from mining wastes, implemented by the teams from ITPE and GIG-PIB.
The work focuses on the development and optimisation of hydrometallurgical methods for recovering rare earth elements (REEs) from selected waste samples originating both from waste heaps and from current production streams. Particularly promising results have been obtained after applying preliminary thermal activation of the material through calcination. For selected samples, this enabled very satisfactory REE recovery levels, exceeding 80%.
This is an important step in assessing whether coal mining waste can become a real alternative source of critical raw materials for the European economy. The results obtained so far confirm the need for further process optimisation and show that appropriate material pretreatment can significantly improve the efficiency of REE recovery.
