Rare Earths Hidden in Appalachian Mine Drainage

Across Appalachia, rust-colored water seeping from abandoned coal mines continues to stain rocks and stream beds with acidic, metal-laden discharge.
These acidic flows, known as acid mine drainage (AMD), can persist for decades, disrupting aquatic life, corroding infrastructure and contaminating drinking water.
Buried in the orange stains are valuable rare earth elements (REEs) — a group of 17 critical metals used in smartphones, wind turbines and military jets.
Studies indicate REE concentrations in some AMD wastes are comparable to those in conventional mined ores, and researchers estimate more than 13,700 miles of U.S. streams, primarily in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, are affected by AMD.
Scientists at West Virginia University and collaborators are developing extraction methods that would recover REEs while neutralizing and cleaning contaminated water; laboratory experiments show the approach can work.
Scaling this concept faces legal and logistical hurdles, including clarifying ownership of mine wastes and building treatment infrastructure.
If those issues are resolved, turning AMD into a domestic REE source could reduce the environmental costs of primary mining and help supply materials for clean energy technologies.