A new study by Geoscience BC finds that there may be sufficient quantities of rare earths in the coal deposits of the East Kootenay region of B.C. to warrant extraction.
Rare earth elements (REE) are a group of 17 minerals that are critical to a number of high-tech applications, including electronics, aerospace, wind turbines, and certain alloys and magnets.
Geoscience BC looked at 100 coal samples from the East Kootenay region, where B.C.'s metallurgical coal mines are mostly concentrated, and assayed them for rare earths.
“Using the US Department of Energy’s 2016 threshold of 300 ppm (parts per million) total REE as the coal seam content considered a potential cutoff grade for REE extraction, it suggests that some samples within these coalfields may indicate resource potential,” Geoscience BC says in a press release.
The highest concentrations were 686 ppm.
“Extraction techniques (separation and concentration) were also tested, with density separation, flotation and hydrometallurgical leaching all showing promise for further study,” Geoscience BC said. “In addition, the nature of the host minerals suggests that coal processing waste streams offer the best feed source for REE extraction.”
"With the federal government’s recently released Critical Minerals Strategy and its inclusion of rare earth elements as a priority resource for Canada’s economy and move toward net-zero emissions, this study helps advance the search for rare earth elements in BC,” said Geoscience BC vice president of Minerals Christa Pellett.
