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Scientists find huge trove of rare metals needed for clean energy hidden inside toxic coal waste | CNN

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Coal ash contains up to 11 million tons of rare earth elements, worth $8.4 billion .

Rare earths are a cluster of metallic elements, which exist in the Earth ’s core.

Demand for the metals is expected to soar up to seven times current levels by 2040 .

The US imports more than 95% of its rare earths, the vast majority of which come from China .

“There is no indication that future reliance upon coal ash as a feedstock for critical materials will incentivize coal power,” said a DOE spokesperson. The broader aim is to find out ways to get a range of products from coal in addition to rare earths, Scanlon said, to extract value from it without burning it..