Who owns the minerals in polluted mine water? Property rights and institutional barriers to rare earth elements recovery from acid mine drainage

Key Points

• Recovery of rare earth elements from acid mine drainage faces significant institutional barriers,
• Recent findings indicate that property rights complicate access to these valuable minerals.
• Observational analysis highlights the intricacies of mining law and its impact on pollution recovery efforts.
• Addressing these challenges may enable more efficient recovery of rare earth elements from polluted sites.