Gizmodo – Rare earth elements are crucial to many technologies, and scientists say the U.S. could boost extraction from domestic reserves by as much as eight times the current level. How great would it be if we could extract resources from our waste products? Or even better, raise them from the ashes? Scientists in the United States have suggested doing exactly that to boost the nation’s supply of rare earth elements. Researchers, co-led by Bridget Scanlon of The University of Texas at Austin (UT), have found that up to 11 million tons of rare earth elements could be extracted from coal ash in the U.S., a waste product of coal burning. That’s almost eight times the amount of rare earth elements currently in domestic reserves. Their findings, detailed in a September 17 study in the International Journal of Coal Science & Technology, highlight that this approach could significantly reinforce national supplies without the need for further mining. “This really exemplifies the ‘trash to treasure’ mantra,” Scanlon said in a UT statement. Rare earth elements are 17 elements crucial to many technologies, including smartphones, flat-screen TVs, computer monitors, batteries, magnets, offshore wind turbines, and solar panels. The U.S. imports most of its rare earth element supply from abroad, with 75% coming from China, according to the statement. The new study, however, suggests that coal ash in the U.S. could supply $8.4 billion worth of rare earth elements. “There’s huge volumes of this stuff all over the country,” said Davin Bagdonas of the University of Wyoming, who also participated in the study. “And the upfront process of extracting the (mineral host) is already taken care of for us.”