Singareni Collieries, CSIR-IMMT Ink Pact To Extract Critical Minerals From Coal Waste

Hyderabad: Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has signed an agreement with CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT) to explore and extract rare earth elements and critical minerals from coal mining waste across its operations. The agreement, signed in the presence of SCCL chairman and managing director N. Balram, targets minerals in shale, clay, sandstone, granite, coal fly ash and bottom ash from Singari districts.

This follows the first memorandum of understanding signed in June, marking the official start of the project. Balram highlighted the confirmed presence of rare earth elements in overburden from open-pit mines, fly ash and bottom ash from Singareni Thermal Power Plant (STPP) and in the hill formations of its tailings. Samples from Durgamgutta block near Manuguru, analyzed by the Geological Survey of India, also confirmed these deposits.

Preliminary studies identified 14 minerals, including six light rare earth elements such as lanthanum, cerium and praseodymium, as well as eight heavy rare earth elements such as yttrium, scandium and dysprosium. CSIR-IMMT will conduct detailed analyses, economic viability assessments and develop extraction processes using indigenous, environmentally friendly technologies. This collaboration is in line with the government’s priorities to reduce import dependence and diversify SCCL beyond coal.

Dr Ramanuj Narayan, director of CSIR-IMMT, emphasized that the development of home-grown methods to extract minerals from industrial waste should support India’s self-reliance on critical minerals that are vital for green technologies. He described the initiative as a step towards national mining security and viable mining models.

The agreement was signed by IMMT’s chief scientist and head of hydro and electrometallurgy, Dr. It was signed by Kali Sanjay and SCCL director (P&P) K. Venkateshwarlu. The participants included Chiranjeevi, ED-STPP T. Srinivas, GM (Coordination), B. Srinivas, GM (Reconnaissance) and Chintala Srinivas, GM.