Monazite sands

Analysing the Viability of Extracting REEs from Fly Ash

India’s plan to extract rare earths from fly ash under Atma Nirbhar Bharat faces criticism as techno-economically unviable due to very low REE content. Experts warn it undermines fly ash reuse and creates waste challenges, advocating instead for sustainably exploiting high-grade monazite sands, with fly ash extraction limited to long-term research.