Project Information

Bid Title

Available for Licensing - Electrochemical Rare Earth Recovery from Coal Fly Ash: Turn Waste Stockpiles into Critical Materials Revenue

Issuing Agency

ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF

Location

Idaho

Published Date

Mar 4, 2026

Closing Date

May 1, 2026

Government Level

Federal

Status

Closed

Ref. #

BA-1747

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

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Available for Licensing - Electrochemical Rare Earth Recovery from Coal Fly Ash: Turn Waste Stockpiles into Critical Materials Revenue

Active

Contract Opportunity

Notice ID

BA-1747

Related Notice

Department/Ind. Agency

ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF

Sub-tier

ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF

Office

BATTELLE ENERGY ALLIANCE–DOE CNTR

General Information

• Contract Opportunity Type: Special Notice (Original)
• Original Published Date: Mar 04, 2026 02:37 pm MST
• Original Response Date: May 01, 2026 12:00 am MDT
• Inactive Policy: 15 days after response date
• Original Inactive Date: May 16, 2026
• Initiative:

Classification

• Original Set Aside:
• Product Service Code: AJ11 - GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH
• NAICS Code:
  • 21229 - Other Metal Ore Mining
• Place of Performance:
  Idaho Falls , ID 83401
  USA

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:

• 
  

  158 million tons produced annually in the U.S.

  
  

• 
  

  1.5 billion tons currently stockpiled

  
  

• 
  

  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:

• 
  

  Separation factors typically below 10, requiring 50 to 200 extraction cycles

  
  


• 
  

  Processing times measured in days to weeks

  
  


• 
  

  Heavy reliance on chemical reagents

  
  


• 
  

  Significant hazardous waste generation and disposal costs

  
  


• 
  

  Large footprint, batch-based systems

  
  


• 
  

  Increasing regulatory and ESG pressure

  
  

INL electrochemical process:

• 
  

  Separation Factor ~7

  
  


• 
  

  Processing completed in hours

  
  


• 
  

  Electricity-driven, reagent-free operation

  
  


• 
  

  Minimal waste generation

  
  


• 
  

  Compact, modular system design

  
  


• 
  

  Lower disposal burden and ESG-aligned operation

  
  

Additional Benefits: 60% recovery efficiency, reusable electrodes, lower operating costs, faster time to revenue.

Market Applications

• 
  

  Coal Power Plants (200+ in U.S.) - Convert fly ash from liability to revenue stream

  
  

• 
  

  REE Recovery Companies - Replace chemical extraction with cleaner, faster processing

  
  

• 
  

  Environmental Remediation - Process mining tailings, contaminated soils

  
  

• 
  

  Critical Materials Supply Chain - Domestic REE sourcing for defense and electronics

  
  

• 
  

  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.

Attachments/Links

Contact Information

Contracting Office Address

• 1955 N Fremont Avenue
• Idaho Falls , ID 83415
• USA

Primary Point of Contact

• Javier Martinez
• javier.martinez@inl.gov

Secondary Point of Contact

History

• Mar 04, 2026 02:37 pm MSTSpecial Notice (Original)

Commodity Codes

• FSC AResearch and development

• NAICS 237310Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction
• NAICS 237990Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
• NAICS 541620Environmental Consulting Services
• NAICS 562111Solid Waste Collection

Related bids

Jun 11, 2026

[Special Notice (Updated)] Available for Licensing - Electrochemical Rare Earth Recovery from Coal Fly Ash: Turn Waste Stockpiles into Critical Materials Revenue

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