In China’s premier coal province Shanxi, a massive project that converts ultra-hard coal waste into high-value industrial materials – has begun operations, bringing the country’s zero waste goal for the fossil fuel industry a step closer.

The project – in Gaoping, a county-level city in Shanxi’s southeast – is producing 1,000 tonnes per day of building and industrial materials, including sand and gravel aggregates used in construction, according to the local government.

In an article published in mid-May, the provincial authorities said the materials were derived from the main solid waste generated during mining and washing, called coal gangue.

By cracking the tough bone of coal gangue, China has almost achieved the comprehensive clean utilisation of coal wastes – from contaminated water through exhaust gases and now solids.

For example, as the South China Morning Post reported in May, a Chinese company is converting emissions from coal-fired power plants into fertiliser, expanding the application of a technology that could make both carbon capture and food cheaper.

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China is also leveraging its advantages in extraction technology and industrial infrastructure by processing coal gangue and fly ash to obtain critical metals, including lithium, gallium and germanium.