Rare Earth Elements Found in Coal Mine Waste: India's Path to Sustainability

Strategic Insights -

India is on a mission to harness its coal mine waste, with significant discoveries of Rare Earth Elements (REE) in coal fly ash and clays from Singareni Thermal Power Plant and NLC India Limited's mine. The total REE content in fly ash and clays is about 400 ppm, with fly ash from thermal power plants containing a concentration of REE (2100 mg/kg), including 300 mg/kg of Yttrium. This news comes on the heels of the government's approval of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in January 2025, which aims to recover critical minerals from overburden, tailings, fly ash, and red mud. Coal India Limited has undertaken numerous R&D projects related to REE in coal mine waste, including research on extraction techniques and development of indigenous technology.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Singareni Thermal Power Plant and NLC India Limited's mines have been found to contain significant quantities of Rare Earth Elements (REE) in coal fly ash and clays, with a total REE content of about 400 ppm.
  • The fly ash from thermal power plants contains a concentration of REE (2100 mg/kg) with a notable presence of Yttrium (300 mg/kg).
  • The Government has approved the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in January 2025, which aims to recover critical minerals from coal mine waste and other sources.
  • Coal India Limited has undertaken several R&D projects related to REE in coal mine waste, including research on extraction techniques and development of indigenous technology.
  • The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has signed MoUs with research institutions to develop technologies for extracting REE from coal mine waste.
  • The R&D projects are focused on developing techniques to extract critical metals, including REE, from North eastern coalfields.

Statistics:

  • 400 ppm: the total REE content in coal fly ash and clays from Singareni Thermal Power Plant and NLC India Limited's mines.
  • 2100 mg/kg: the concentration of REE in fly ash from thermal power plants.
  • 300 mg/kg: the concentration of Yttrium in fly ash from thermal power plants.
  • 100 crore: the allocation for pilot projects under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) for recovering critical minerals from coal mine waste.
  • January 2025: the month when the Government approved the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM).
  • 2024-25 to 2030-31: the duration of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM).

Sources:

  • [Taxindiaonline.com Pvt.Ltd, distributed by Contify.com]
  • [Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy's written reply in Rajya Sabha]
  • [Coal India Limited's Research & Development (R&D) projects]