Rare Earth Elements Found In Jamaican Mud 100
stevegee58 writes "Jamaica was once home to a thriving bauxite (aluminum ore) industry. While Jamaican bauxite mining may have fallen on hard times, it seems that the bauxite tailings in the form of red mud are rich in rare earth elements. Japanese researchers have discovered rare earth elements in high concentrations in this red mud and have already invested $3M in a pilot project to extract them. Perhaps Chinese dominance of rare earth deposits is on the wane as global manufacturers continue to search for and find other deposits of these valuable minerals."
Re:"continue to search for and find other deposits (Score:5, Interesting)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/business/energy-environment/09rareside.html?_r=0 [nytimes.com]
Thats the PR you have to face when you want to set up and "not harm the local environment"... in 201x
You wonder why press releases talk of not doing rare earth projects in Australia due to
power, water, chemical costs
for some reason they go back to 'other' parts of the world
Rare Earths (Score:5, Interesting)
Rare earths are NOT rare. They are in fact abundant in the crust.
The problem with these materials is that deposits of rare earths are usually associated with stuff like Thorium. This makes the mining waste rather annoying.
China has been willing to ignore this problem thereby cornering the market. Now they are getting the idea that being the world depository of rare earth mining waste may not be a good idea and are declining to sell to every Tom Disk and Harry at cut rate prices.
So folks are looking for alternatives. The bauxite one sounds interesting.
Re:Ok, let's all wait (Score:3, Interesting)
You mean, let's see how long until we declare that the Jamaican people need to be "liberated".
Or . . . how long until we need to send a massive force there after a "natural disaster" to help out.
Bauxite scandal in India (Score:3, Interesting)
http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/how-big-business-gets-its-way [openthemagazine.com]
Locals jailed for all kinds of silly reasons if they opposed the mining.
Re:Rare Earths (Score:4, Interesting)
Thorium? Problem?
I thought there was a potential nuclear fuel cycle under development that uses Thorium. So, while it may require some special handling, it has value and isn't a waste product to be dealt with.
Re:"continue to search for and find other deposits (Score:5, Interesting)
Finding "rare" earths isn't that difficult. In this country, the problem is that rare earth elements (technically lanthanides) are invariably associated with the other f-series elements (the actinides), specifically thorium. Mining rare earths produces thorium oxide as a byproduct, and "disposing" of this ought-to-be-valuable stuff is a real difficulty. In China, it's less of a problem, for two reasons. First, it's apparently OK to dump radioactive waste in your local waterway, and second, the Chinese government doesn't shun all things nuclear. Like reactors, and bombs, and Oh Yes, thorium deposits.
Now, finding rare earth deposits with almost no thorium in them is a real feat, and getting the US government to find ways to store thorium would a world-class miracle.