Rare Earth Minerals : An Essential Resource for Modern Technology
A Rusty Sledge
Red mud is an alkaline industrial solid waste discharged from alumina production via the bayer process and can be considered a kind of potential resource of rare earth elements (rees). Many valuable metals such as iron, aluminum, and titanium also exist in red mud. Bauxite is the major ore for aluminum production. Alumina is extracted from bauxite by the bayer process. The waste slurry generated in this process is called red mud and its solid fraction is called bauxite residue. Bauxite residue (or red mud) is a waste generated during the bayer process of alumina production. Its storage is a spatial and environmental concern. Currently, there are no bulk applications of bauxite residue except for minor use in cements and ceramics.Complex processing of red mud is cost-effective since red mud contains elements such as iron, aluminum, titanium, calcium, and rare earth metals. These rare earth elements (rees) have unique physicochemical properties that make them indispensable in many emerging critical and green innovations. The performance of ree in the high-tech products is irreplaceable by other materials; hence their demand is increasing steeply. Modern society relies on metals such as copper, gold and nickel for uses ranging from medicine to electronics. Most of these elements are rare in Earth’s crust, so mining them requires displacing vast volumes of dirt and rock. Hard rock mining — so called because it refers to excavating hard minerals, not softer materials such as coal or tar sands — generated $600 billion in revenues worldwide in 2017.
Red mud is an alkaline industrial solid waste discharged from alumina production via the bayer process and can be considered a kind of potential resource of rare earth elements (rees). Many valuable metals such as iron, aluminum, and titanium also exist in red mud. Bauxite is the major ore for aluminum production. Alumina is extracted from bauxite by the bayer process. The waste slurry generated in this process is called red mud and its solid fraction is called bauxite residue. Bauxite residue (or red mud) is a waste generated during the bayer process of alumina production. Its storage is a spatial and environmental concern. Currently, there are no bulk applications of bauxite residue except for minor use in cements and ceramics.Complex processing of red mud is cost-effective since red mud contains elements such as iron, aluminum, titanium, calcium, and rare earth metals. These rare earth elements (rees) have unique physicochemical properties that make them indispensable in many emerging critical and green innovations. The performance of ree in the high-tech products is irreplaceable by other materials; hence their demand is increasing steeply. Modern society relies on metals such as copper, gold and nickel for uses ranging from medicine to electronics. Most of these elements are rare in Earth’s crust, so mining them requires displacing vast volumes of dirt and rock. Hard rock mining — so called because it refers to excavating hard minerals, not softer materials such as coal or tar sands — generated $600 billion in revenues worldwide in 2017.
Digging Deep and Wide
In most locations, concentrations of copper, gold and other elements are too low to be extracted profitably. But in some spots they occur in seams of mineable, high-concentration minerals called ores. The economically viable concentration of a mineral depends largely on its market price. Gold ore can be viable at concentrations as low as 0.0001 percent, while copper becomes
uneconomic below 0.5 percent. To reach these deposits underground, miners tunnel, dig open pits or scrape through the Earth’s surface. The choice of technique depends on factors including how consolidated the ore is, the geologic setting and the depth of the ore. Deep mines disturb the smallest amount of surface land, but are inherently more dangerous for miners. Far below the Earth’s surface, crews constantly risk encountering toxic gas fumes or stale air with no life-giving oxygen. Other dangers include earthquakes and equipment failures. In 2010, 33 Chilean miners spent over two months trapped underground in a copper-gold mine after a ramp collapsed, but ultimately were rescued.
uneconomic below 0.5 percent. To reach these deposits underground, miners tunnel, dig open pits or scrape through the Earth’s surface. The choice of technique depends on factors including how consolidated the ore is, the geologic setting and the depth of the ore. Deep mines disturb the smallest amount of surface land, but are inherently more dangerous for miners. Far below the Earth’s surface, crews constantly risk encountering toxic gas fumes or stale air with no life-giving oxygen. Other dangers include earthquakes and equipment failures. In 2010, 33 Chilean miners spent over two months trapped underground in a copper-gold mine after a ramp collapsed, but ultimately were rescued.
The Intersection of Scarce and Essential
Like oil and gas producers, mining companies have to contend with the fact that the products they seek are scarce, and easily extractable pools already have been tapped, leading to decreases in ore quality. But demand for these metals continues to grow. Rapidly expanding green energy will require extracting vast quantities of rare earth metals to power wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries and solar panels. Cellphones, computers, camera lenses and other goods also contain these materials. Economic imperatives lead companies to continue to push for new mines, either in the United States or abroad, where environmental controls may be weaker and new projects are likely to move more rock, consume more energy and have longer-lasting impacts than those that preceded them.
The Possible Solutions
Ensuring that mining operations are subject to effective oversight and long-term monitoring, and that companies are held accountable for environmental damages, is a long-term challenge wherever mining takes place. The best way to completely avoid the complications that come from mining more minerals is to reduce consumption of them, make mining processes more efficient and make it more economic to recycle industrial materials and rare earth metals. Also growing international emphasis on mining safety and changes in technology and ore quality have prompted a shift from deep mining to pit mines or surface mines also campaigns are being/have been done to reduce or eliminate conflict mining by students, consumer/church groups and action groups, they have asked for big companies such as apple and Microsoft to “clean up their act” also Nintendo and to stop buying/ supporting theses illegal smuggling of goods from Congo. Furthermore, they have also filed lawsuits against these big companies for their action in Congo. There has also been city campaigns where cities decide not to buy electronic products unless they can get it conflict free, the Trump administration has also revived several controversial mining proposals that previously were blocked or stalemated. They include the Pebble Mine at the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay and leasing around Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It also approved a large copper minein southern Arizona, which was subsequently blocked by a federal court ruling.