Available for Licensing - Electrochemical Rare Earth Recovery from Coal Fly Ash: Turn Waste Stockpiles into Critical Materials Revenue
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
AI Contract Overview
Idaho National Laboratory has developed a patent-pending electrochemical technology that selectively recovers rare earth elements from coal fly ash using electricity instead of traditional chemical reagents. The system employs functionalized mesoporous carbon electrodes to achieve an electrochemical separation with a separation factor of approximately 7, significantly outperforming conventional solvent extraction methods that often have separation factors below 10 and require 50 to 200 cycles to achieve purity. This innovation reduces processing time from days or weeks to just hours, eliminates hazardous waste generation, and operates with minimal environmental impact through a compact, modular design that uses reusable electrodes and no chemical solvents. With a demonstrated 60% recovery efficiency and lower operating costs, the technology transforms coal fly ash—158 million tons produced annually in the U.S. and 1.5 billion tons stockpiled—into a domestic source of critical materials containing 74,000 to 106,000 metric tons of rare earth elements. The technology is designed for commercial application across multiple sectors, including coal power plants seeking to convert waste into revenue, rare earth recovery firms aiming to replace chemically intensive processes, environmental remediation companies targeting mining tailings or contaminated soils, and supply chain stakeholders focused on domestic secure sourcing for defense and electronics industries. Its scalability and adaptability extend beyond fly ash to any complex mixed-ion separation challenge. Currently at the laboratory validation stage, the next step is a pilot-scale demonstration with an industrial partner. Idaho National Laboratory is seeking licensees to commercialize the technology under a licensing agreement and is not procuring services as part of this collaboration. The opportunity is open for responses until August 1, 2026, with primary contact information provided for inquiries.
General Info
Agency
NAICS
Place of Performance
Idaho Falls, ID, 83401, USASet-Aside
Documents
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Organization & Contact Information
Full Description
Electrochemical Rare Earth Recovery from Coal Fly Ash: Turn Waste Stockpiles into Critical Materials Revenue
Technology Overview
Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have developed an electrochemical process that selectively extracts rare earth elements (REEs) from coal fly ash leachate using electricity instead of chemical reagents. The technology employs tuned anodic electrosorption with functionalized mesoporous carbon electrodes to achieve superior separation of REEs from competing metal ions.
Opportunity
Coal fly ash represents a massive, untapped resource:
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158 million tons produced annually in the U.S.
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1.5 billion tons currently stockpiled
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Contains 74,000-106,000 metric tons of rare earth elements
Current extraction methods don't work at scale. Traditional solvent extraction relies on large volumes of chemical reagents, generating significant hazardous waste and requiring costly disposal. Poor selectivity (separation factor around 1) means you need 50-200 extraction cycles to achieve high purity. This translates to slow processing times (days to weeks), high operating costs, and growing regulatory pressure.
Bottom line: there's no efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable technology for REE recovery from coal fly ash at commercial scale.
Competitive Advantages
Conventional solvent extraction approaches:
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Separation factors typically below 10, requiring 50 to 200 extraction cycles
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Processing times measured in days to weeks
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Heavy reliance on chemical reagents
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Significant hazardous waste generation and disposal costs
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Large footprint, batch-based systems
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Increasing regulatory and ESG pressure
INL electrochemical process:
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Separation Factor ~7
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Processing completed in hours
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Electricity-driven, reagent-free operation
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Minimal waste generation
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Compact, modular system design
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Lower disposal burden and ESG-aligned operation
Additional Benefits: 60% recovery efficiency, reusable electrodes, lower operating costs, faster time to revenue.
Market Applications
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Coal Power Plants (200+ in U.S.) - Convert fly ash from liability to revenue stream
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REE Recovery Companies - Replace chemical extraction with cleaner, faster processing
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Environmental Remediation - Process mining tailings, contaminated soils
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Critical Materials Supply Chain - Domestic REE sourcing for defense and electronics
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Beyond Coal Fly Ash - Applicable to any complex mixed-ion separation challenge
Development and Licensing
Current Stage: Laboratory-scale validation Underway
Next Step: Pilot-scale demonstration with commercial partner
Idaho National Laboratory is seeking industrial partners to license and commercialize this patent-pending technology. INL does not procure services as part of its collaboration agreements.
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