The growing accumulation of coal beneficiation waste represents a significant environmental and technological challenge while simultaneously creating opportunities for the resource recovery within circular economy frameworks. This study presents the development and process-oriented evaluation of an environmentally safe technology for converting coal beneficiation waste into potassium humate, with the simultaneous recovery of molybdenum compounds via alkaline extraction. The proposed solution is designed to improve resource efficiency, reduce the volume of waste directed to landfilling, and generate a high value-added product for agricultural and technological applications. The process flow includes preliminary characterization and preparation of the waste, determination of moisture, ash, and organic matter content, and the separation of metal-bearing fractions. Alkaline extraction was carried out using potassium hydroxide under controlled temperature and reaction time conditions, followed by purification and concentration of the humate solution. The process management strategy focuses on optimizing key technological parameters, including alkali concentration, solid-to-liquid ratio, temperature, and reaction time, to maximize humate yield while preserving functional groups responsible for biological activity. Comprehensive physicochemical, thermal, and mineralogical analyses confirmed the stability of the aluminosilicate matrix and the suitability of the material for alkaline processing without adverse structural degradation. Biological tests using oat (Avena sativa) demonstrated that potassium humate derived from coal beneficiation waste exhibits higher growth-stimulating effectiveness than a conventional commercial humate. Economic analysis revealed a strong correlation between humic acid content and added value, confirming the feasibility of transforming coal beneficiation waste from an environmental burden into a valuable secondary resource.
Roman et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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