Rare earth elements (REE) are frequently referred to as ingredients for
enhancements in modern industry, as they are extensively applied in many
industrial branches due to their accented electro-magnetic and optical
properties. REE have end-utilizations as catalysts, magnets, and as dopants
for ceramic materials. Rare earth minerals are scarce therefore the
unconventional REE-containing resources such as waste materials and
industrial byproducts are continuously being investigated. Coal combustion
products comprise REE concentrations varying between 200 ppm and 1500 ppm.
This quantity can be isolated though the extraction procedure. In this
study, the five stages extraction was conducted on the coal combustion ash
from the selected landfill site. The extractions of 32 elements (As, Ga, Ce,
Be, Ge, Nd, Cr, Zr, Eu, Cu, Nb, Gd, Co, Mo, Dy, Li, Ag, W, Mn, Cd, Au, Ni,
In, Hg, Pb, Sn, Tl, V, Sb, Th, Zn, and La) were conveyed. Chemical analyses
were conducted via XRF, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, and AAS techniques. The complexity
of the obtained data was examined by Principal component analysis and
Cluster analysis in order to derive interconnections between quantity of
elements and landfill characteristics, as well as mutual relationships among
the elements of interest, and to assess the accomplishment of REE recovery
from the coal ash.
Concentrating Rare Earth Elements in Coal mine drainage Using Coal Combustion Products through Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation
