Australia’s coal-fired power stations generate millions of tonnes of fly ash each year — a byproduct long regarded as industrial waste.
Now, engineers from Monash University have unveiled a technology capable of transforming that waste into a valuable source of rare earth elements critical to the clean-tech economy.
The new “urban mining” breakthrough, developed by Dr Bennet Thomas and Professor Sankar Bhattacharya, offers a scalable process that can recover over 90 per cent of rare earths contained in coal ash.
Importantly, it captures all 17 rare earth elements — metals vital for smartphones, wind turbines, electric vehicles and defence technologies.
“Australia’s coal-fired power stations produce millions of tonnes of fly ash annually — traditionally treated as waste,” Professor Bhattacharya explained.
“Our research shows this ash holds valuable rare earth metals essential for powering future technologies.
“Our urban mining method can recover all 17 rare earth elements with over 90 per cent efficiency, providing a safer and more sustainable alternative to conventional mining.”
Rare earths are notoriously difficult and environmentally intensive to extract through conventional mining.
Australia currently relies heavily on imports, particularly from China, which dominates the global market for these minerals.
Monash researchers argue their new process could double Australia’s domestic supply — without the need for opening new mines.
Dr Thomas, from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and a Victorian Royal Society Young Scientist prize winner, highlighted both the environmental and economic importance of the advance.
“Recovering rare earth elements from coal ash not only addresses a significant waste problem but also strengthens Australia’s supply chain resilience for critical materials,” he said.
“With the right support, we can scale up this technology to create new regional jobs and help Australia lead the global transition to clean energy and advanced manufacturing.”
Fly ash has long posed environmental challenges, accumulating in landfill sites and storage dams across the country.
Turning this material into a strategic resource offers a dual benefit — cleaning up industrial legacy waste while securing supplies of critical minerals needed for renewable technologies.
Details of the process and its potential implications for Australian industry have been outlined by Dr Thomas and Professor Bhattacharya in Monash University’s publication Monash Lens.
Their work comes as governments and industries worldwide seek new approaches to diversify supply chains and reduce reliance on environmentally damaging mining operations.
