Recovery of REE's using Laser Ablation (LIBS)

https://www.energy.gov/sites/defaul...l Minerals from Coal and Coal By-Products.pdf

This is an interesting article from the DOE, it is mainly about the US recovering Rare Earth Elements from coal and flyash it speaks of a process called LIBS (laser Ablation)

I don't think this is a rabbit hole, it is one being looked at closely by the US to help get a sustainable amount of REE's from a secondary source and they are serious about it.
Any company that doesn't innovate is dead, especially if they ignore any other platform that could be valuable using similar technology that they already have!


Department of Energy | May 2022
Recovery of Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals from Coal and Coal Byproducts |Page 7
II. LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE
REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committees
on Science, Space, and Technology, and Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives
a report evaluating the development of advanced separation technologies for the extraction
and recovery of REE and other CM from coal and coal byproducts, including AMD from coal
mines.

Open up the link and then hit control F   type in the word laser and see where nit gets mentioned.

example -:Rare Earth Element and Critical
Mineral Detection in Solid and
Liquid materials using Laser
Induced Breakdown
Spectroscopy (LIBS

Advanced sensors for real-time measurements of
REE and CM in liquids down to single parts per
million or in solids to the 10s of parts per million
concentration. Sensors will enable real-time
process control in extraction and enrichment
facilities, enabling innovation and process
intensifications not previously possible, along
with the attendant cost reductions.
Allows prospecting of remote locations and
potential enables advances in solids processing
and screening.