Bender-Ender t1_iw13dec wrote on November 12, 2022 at 3:04 AM

Reply to comment by RestlessAmbivert in Chinese scientist develop new method of rare earth mining that is more effective and uses much less toxic chemicals by mutherhrg

It is interesting but not perfectly related. Neodymium and praseodymium are the rare earth elements used predominantly for making powerful magnets and they are part of the LREE group, rather than the HREE group. (Your news is actually probably more significant though, because Nd/Pr are needed in greater quantities than HREEs and, if that new synthetic mineral can be produced in large quantities, that would be very important.)

China has a near monopoly on production of both HREE & LREEs.

With LREEs, China benefits from a very significant natural abundance of Nd/Pr at an old iron ore mine called Bayan Obo. That deposit has such good grades and quantities, as well as basically being a free biproduct of the iron ore production, that it just ends up naturally with incredibly low production costs.

With HREEs China maintains a production cost advantage because they don't have as strong of environmental regulations. This is where this article and associated propaganda come in. For decades Chinese producers have just dumped chemicals directly in the ground and collected the pregnant leachate from downstream, disregarding the environmental impacts but basically taking the cost of mining (blasting, digging, trucking) out of the equation. Now they're probably trying to greenwash the in situ extraction method by claiming this kind of process is being used.

Bender-Ender t1_iw1103q wrote on November 12, 2022 at 2:42 AM

Reply to comment by Lopsided_Web5432 in Chinese scientist develop new method of rare earth mining that is more effective and uses much less toxic chemicals by mutherhrg

So good to hear. What mine/company?

Bender-Ender t1_ivzuncn wrote on November 11, 2022 at 9:08 PM

Reply to comment by DarthMeow504 in Chinese scientist develop new method of rare earth mining that is more effective and uses much less toxic chemicals by mutherhrg

Okay sure, yes it would be. Except the alternative is a 100% reduction in chemicals poured into the ground like the way it's done everywhere except China. First you dig it up to isolate it from the environment then you process it.

Bender-Ender t1_ivzdqj7 wrote on November 11, 2022 at 7:14 PM

Reply to Chinese scientist develop new method of rare earth mining that is more effective and uses much less toxic chemicals by mutherhrg

So... As opposed to dumping chemicals on the ground, waiting for them to percolate through and then trying to collect as much as possible of the pregnant chemicals at the bottom of a hill, this process does the same thing but electrifies the ground as well. With reduction in the quantity of chemicals used.

Yep, really green.

Edit: Hmmm... The only other comment that isn't deleted is one praising the tech and how important it is for China and the environment. Seems like some good ol' fashion all-genuine-non-state-influenced redditting going on here.