Environment Matters - DEP, WVU Partner on New Water Treatment Plant

The DEP's Office of Special Reclamation is partnering with the Water Research Institute at WVU to build a water treatment plant near Mt. Storm. The plant will treat acid mine drainage and extract valuable Rare Earth Elements from the sludge that is a byproduct of the treatment process. Rare Earth Elements are highly sought after for their use in the advanced manufacture of electronics, batteries, light weight, high strength metal alloys used for aerospace and other hi-tech applications. Most of the world’s supply currently comes from China. Scientists at WVU developed a process to extract those elements from the sludge produced by the DEP’s treatment of acid mine drainage which was, up until now, a waste product with no value.