Coal ash can be used to replace mining of the rare earth element yttrium

 🌏 Burning coal is being criticized for causing CO2 emissions. But it also causes for example a lot of waste in the form of ash.

🏭 But here's the fascinating part: these ashes contain valuable minerals such as yttrium. Recycling these minerals is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional mining!

💡 Interested in learning more about this innovative method? Check out the details in the link below! 👉 https://medium.com/the-environment/how-the-rare-earth-element-yttrium-can-be-recycled-from-coal-ashes-cd6b25ec8860

Coal ash contains many valuable minerals that can be extracted and put to good use (note: this picture is for illustrative purposes only, as this is charcoal instead of coal, which looks similar but does not contain yttrium; credit: Lukas Gojda on Shutterstock)