Rare earth elements in deposited hard coal fly ash in Poland

• Main Authors: Woźniak Justyna, Gurdziel Marcel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2021-01-01
• Series: E3S Web of Conferences
• Online Access: https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/pdf/2021/54/e3sconf_sdemr2021_01016.pdf

Rare Earth Elements (REEs), due to their unique properties, are nowadays a desirable raw material, especially in the development of modern technologies. This paper describes a 4-step research methodology for the task of identifying the potential for REE recovery in landfilled fly ash. A literature analysis was performed on their significance, occurrence in both primary and secondary deposits. Opportunities for REE recovery from coal fly ash in conventional power plants were identified and selected technologies were described. Poland, as a country whose energy sector is to a large extent based on coal, has a potential in this respect. Taking into account studies of the Polish Central Statistical Office (GUS) and forecasts of the Polish energy policy, the article determines the approximate value of REE in the waste stream from coal-fired power plants burning hard coal.