Signature Series - Prof. Aaron Noble, Virginia Tech, USA updates Process Development for the Recovery of Rare Earth Elements & Critical Minerals from Unconventional Resources

Presentation Title:

Process Development for the Recovery of Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals from Unconventional Resources

Presented by:

Aaron Noble, PE, PhD

Professor and Department Head

Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Tech, USA

Presentation date:

28 Sept 2024

Presentation Abstract:
Over the last decade, several international agencies have developed policies, investment strategies, and research programs to promote rare earth element (REE) and critical mineral (CM) production while building more sustainable supply chains. One significant component of these programs is supply diversification, including the development of technologies and processes needed to utilize unconventional and secondary REE resources. In the US, research and development efforts since 2016 have targeted deleterious mining wastes, including acid mine drainage, coal refuse, coal combustion byproducts, mine tailings, and others, as potential sources of critical REEs and non-REE CMs. This approach provides a pathway to recover REEs while addressing legacy environmental issues; however, the specific REE mineralogy and low-grade concentrations in these materials often entail significant technical and economic challenges. This presentation will explore the process development efforts from several case studies and discuss the research and development activities that have yielded crosscutting technologies with both conventional and unconventional applications. In addition, the presentation will discuss how these efforts are providing technical training and educational opportunities for a next-generation REE/CM workforce.

Presenter Biography:

Aaron Noble is a professor and the head of the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering at Virginia Tech. His instruction and research are in the general areas of mineral processing, process economics and mine environmental management with a specific focus on critical mineral production. He has published more than 45 journal papers, delivered more than 120 professional presentations, and has received three U.S. patents for innovative process equipment. Over the last 10 years, he has participated in over 50 research projects, with many focused on REE/CM production from unconventional resources including acid mine drainage, acid mine drainage sludge, coal refuse, mine tailings, phosphogypsum, and others. Noble has a B.S., an M.S. and a Ph.D. all from Virginia Tech and all in mining engineering. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia.