American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC) has reported progress with its fly ash sampling program.
In conjunction with its previously announced 2 kilowatt (kW) mobile electrolytic cell rare earth element (REE) processing plant, the company said it has been working with various parties controlling large deposits of fly ash.
American Resources also said it has had numerous inquiries from such parties looking for viable solutions for their fly ash deposits (typically stockpiled as environmental hazards due to the remaining carbon content) since the company announced its REE "Capture-Process-Purify" process chain.
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"Our ability to recycle and reprocess fly ash through our electrolysis technology is something that we are extremely excited about,” said American Resources CEO Mark Jensen in a statement.
“When building a commercialization model we have to focus on cost and scalability. Including fly ash as a feedstock into our REE process chain is something that we believe differentiates us in that it allows us to monetize most, if not all, of its byproducts which keeps our cost structure low, while also addressing and cleaning up environmental issues left behind by the fossil fuel industry.”
Jensen added: “We preach a solution-driven approach when looking at worldwide problems and opportunities. The technology chain we put together are very complimentary and are all tracking to be scalable and low cost when it comes to each product we will look to monetize in the process. We look forward to working with all of our partners in the fly ash sampling program to see how we can work together to drive innovation and bring real solutions to a variety of issues in electrification and infrastructure feedstocks."
The company said its subsidiary American Rare Earth is currently collecting, analyzing, and running samples from the Central Appalachian basin, Illinois Basin, Northern Appalachian basin, Powder River Basin, and Canada. It expects to continue to expand its footprints and site locations in anticipation of the construction and deployment of its mobile facility.
American Resources noted that its electrolytic cell REE processing facility represents a novel approach for the revalorization of coal, coal waste, and coal byproducts such as fly ash, utilizing Coal Electrolytic Cell (CEC) technology for the production of REE concentrate, carbon, purified fly ash, and hydrogen.
The design is based on successful analysis utilizing electrolysis of fly ash that was from a representative Ohio facility. The company is initially targeting fly ash deposits rich in REEs such as dysprosium, neodymium, and praseodymium, among others.
American Resources said it is finalizing details with its project manager to lead the buildout phase. The facility is expected to be built over the next six months with the goal of deploying into the field in the fourth quarter of 2021.
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