Coal mining dumps, and their pollution are a blot on our landscape, and our consciences too. One of the most insidious of these is acid mine drainage, that occurs when artificially-disturbed rock weathers. This reaction releases toxic acid waste that leeches into soils and rivers. There are moves afoot to turn this coal mining waste to sustainable batteries, and this would be good news for us all.
Turning Coal Mining Waste to Sustainable Batteries
Eliza Griswold drew this to our notice in an article she wrote for The New Yorker on August 26, 2022. We investigated further, and discovered other names for this scourge include acid rock, and acid and metalliferous drainage.
There are various way to neutralize acid mine drainage using chemicals. However, if mining companies ignore it, it can destroy aquatic wildlife including macro-invertebrates and fish. But a fresh solution Eliza Griswold wrote up in The New Yorker involves turning this coal mining waste to sustainable batteries for energy storage.
This exciting possibility came to Griswold’s attention while interviewing biological scientist Paul Ziemkiewicz of West Virginia University Water Research Institute. He told her he had spent thirty-two years battling a pollution that devastated many Appalachian rivers.
Acid Mine Drainage Contains Critical Battery Minerals
New research has revealed acid mine drainage contains critical minerals of interest to battery makers. And these include cobalt, manganese, lithium, and rare-earth elements such as neodymium all critical to decarbonizing the economy.
North America currently imports these materials from Democratic Republic of Congo. But some also come from China, which maintains ‘tight strictures on manufacturing and export’ according to The New Yorker. Now Paul Ziemkiewicz is leading the charge to source these locally.
‘Appalachia’s acid mine drainage has every metal that I’ve ever looked for,’ he told Griswold excitedly. ‘This does more than restore the environment. It also restores these communities that have paid so much for America’s energy.’
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New Battery Design from Abundant Materials
