Editor’s Notes: WVU making a difference
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Rational West Virginians understand our state MUST expand and diversify its economy. That includes a transition away from the energy source that sustained us (and a lot of the rest of the country) for generations. But the key word there is "transition." We're not flipping a switch -- or we shouldn't, anyway. We understand there are new ways to get the job done, and are moving in that direction without pulling the rug out from under families who still depend on the coal industry.
But for too many parts of the state, reminders of the price we paid as we kept the lights on will linger well into that transition, as the bright orange streams that streak across our landscape carry the acid mine drainage and coal waste that just never seems to stop spewing out of the earth.
Fortunately, there is another resource West Virginia has in abundance, and that is the impressively intelligent and creative people who work in our research facilities. A recent example comes from the West Virginia Water Research Institute at West Virginia University. Project lead and director Paul Ziemkiewicz is touting work to develop a new method for extracting and separating rare earth elements and critical minerals from that acid mine drainage and coal waste. The institute just got another $8 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to keep up the work.
"Their work will not only help address acid mine drainage across West Virginia, but the eventual construction and operation of the pre-commercial demonstration facility will create employment in regions of West Virginia impacted by the United States' transition away from fossil fuels," said Vice President for Research Fred King.
Ziemkiewicz talked about the community and environmental advantages to using acid mine drainage as a feedstock for rare earth element technologies.
"These are already permitted sites, which facilitates the move to production, and exploration is easy: just sample the site's AMD discharges. Also, we're not opening a new mine or disturbing a lot of ground, and we don't produce radioactive byproducts like most conventional rare earth mines. Also, acid mine drainage provides the rare earths in a form that is easily recovered so no rock grinding nor intensive processing is needed. As a result, our carbon footprint is much less than a conventional mining and milling operation. Finally, our main byproduct is clean water since our process separately recovers the rare earths and all the other metals from AMD," he told the U.S. Senate while explaining his research.
Imagine, helping heal the damage done to our streams AND piggy-backing off our traditional economic stalwart to spring into another industry that still helps power our communities and the nation.
Here's another bonus: The U.S. imports more than 80% of its rare earth elements and critical minerals, often from places such as China. With facilities in West Virginia, a hefty percentage of the necessary elements could be produced domestically, instead.
Ziemkiewicz used a lot of words to describe his team's work that flew right over my head. But one thing was crystal clear:
"Unlike most academic research, our team has focused on developing large-scale, continuous operations that with this new funding can move the technology rapidly toward the market," Ziemkiewicz said.
This isn't just academia wasting time and money for its own sake. This is work that can make a difference for West Virginians very soon. It can help us tackle a lot of problems at once, and it is being developed right here.
It is WVU doing what we expect and need from it.
While sports success is nice, I'd rather see that kind of performance in this realm than on the football field or basketball court any day.
Let's go, Mountaineers!
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I've rambled on long enough, but I can't sign off without one more thing: Happy Easter, everyone!
Christina Myer is executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. She can be reached via e-mail at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com