REACT: Turning Waste Streams into America’s Next Critical Mineral Resource
By Ozzy Services
The Hidden Treasure in Our Waste
Every ton of coal ash or industrial slurry that leaves a processing plant contains something most people never see: trace amounts of rare earth elements (REEs)—the same materials used in EV motors, wind turbines, and advanced defense technologies.
The challenge? These metals are locked inside ultrafine, unstable slurries that resist separation and overwhelm filters. Traditional batch methods can’t adjust in time, leaving valuable REEs behind in waste streams.
That’s the gap Ozzy Services set out to close.
Introducing REACT — Real-Time Elemental Assay & Conditioning Technology
The REACT System is a modular, real-time conditioning platform built to stabilize, clean, and monitor slurry quality before metal recovery or precipitation.
Instead of relying on slow lab feedback, REACT continuously measures the chemistry of each batch as it moves through the process — making it possible to correct problems instantly.
In plain terms:
REACT makes mineral processing adaptive, not reactive.
How It Works: Real-Time Chemistry, Continuous Control
REACT operates as a looped conditioning skid between leaching and precipitation.
Its design includes six tightly integrated modules:
Buffer Tank: Stabilizes pH and provides gentle agitation.
Hydrocyclone Cluster: Strips out coarse particles and inert fines.
Reconditioning Tank: A short-residence reactor for precise flocculant and coagulant dosing.
Sidestream Analytics: Continuously samples and measures REE concentration, pH, and turbidity.
Polishing Filter & QA Check: Removes residual clumps, triggering automatic backwash when pressure rises.
Smart Routing: AI-driven valves decide whether the slurry proceeds or loops back for fine-tuning.
Every second, REACT evaluates whether the slurry meets on-spec criteria (ΣREE, pH, turbidity).
If it’s within range — it moves on. If not — the loop continues.
This creates a living process that learns and adjusts in real time.
Dual-Path Analytics: Seeing What Others Miss
Coal- and ash-based systems present a unique problem: metal concentrations are too low and the matrices too dirty for inline XRF alone.
REACT solves this with a dual-path analytical loop:
FunctionInstrumentResponse TimePurposeFast ControlColorimetric CFA / UV-VisSecondsTracks ΣREE using dye complexation (e.g., Arsenazo III).Rugged CheckPre-concentrator + XRF2–5 minConfirms readings in dirty slurries.CalibrationICP-OES / MP-AES15–30 minVerifies element-by-element accuracy.
By integrating these signals, REACT balances chemical precision with plant-floor practicality.
The Results: Stability, Efficiency, and Compliance
ChallengeHow REACT Solves ItUnstable feed qualityContinuous turbidity and pH feedback stabilize precipitation feeds.Low REE concentrationsSidestream colorimetry provides usable signals at mg/L levels.Reagent wasteAutomated recycling and dosing cut chemical use by 10–30%.Environmental limitsCleaner effluent and fewer additives simplify permitting.
Each skid produces time-series data that can be used for DOE/DoD grant reporting, pilot design, and scale-up modeling.
Scalable Design: From Pilot to Full Plant
REACT is skid-mounted and modular, built for plug-and-play deployment from 1–10 m³/h pilot units up to industrial scale.
Because the system doesn’t rely on heat or roasting, it can be adapted for:
Coal ash leachates
Tailings water
Red mud and phosphogypsum liquors
Other fine, mineral-rich industrial effluents
In every configuration, REACT’s mission remains the same:
Turn unstable slurries into consistent, recoverable mineral feedstocks.
The Bigger Picture
Coal and fly ash once symbolized energy’s past. With REACT, they could help power the future.
By capturing critical minerals that would otherwise be lost, Ozzy Services is helping build a pathway toward U.S. rare earth independence — cleaner, smarter, and scalable.
About Ozzy Services
Ozzy Services develops modular systems that bridge the gap between heavy industry and next-generation process automation.
Our focus: creating practical, field-ready technologies that strengthen U.S. energy and mineral resilience.
