Given that the group of minerals is considered of vital
importance – both commercially and from a strategic standpoint – has the US
rare earth industry now catching up with China?
By: Ringo Bones
Since The People’s Republic Of China stated that it plans to
limit their rare earth metals export a little over a decade ago, the US
government got spooked enough to call on the mining industry to address a
potential rare earth shortage. Given that a single F-35 Lightning fighter jet
uses about 35-pounds worth of rare earth metals only highlights the strategic importance
of rare earths. A few years ago, a west Texas rare earth strike proved
promising to make the US rare earth mining industry supersede China in a few
years time.
Located only 35 miles north of the US-Mexican border, the
west Texas rare earth d is a deposit is considered very promising because it is
a type of rare earth mineral that is much easier to process from an economic
standpoint compared to the minerals found in operational rare earth mines in
China. At present, the most efficient economically viable way to extract rare
earth metals from their relevant ores is via the continuous ion exchange /
continuous ion chromatography process.
This process of extracting rare earths was initially
developed by the Manhattan Project in the 1940s for refining actinide series
elements – i.e. uranium, thorium, etc. – while only publicly admitting that the
procedure was for refining rare earth elements as a proxy in developing the
chemical process. This process was subsequently adapted to many high-volume
industrial uses and came into its own with the advent of the continuous ion
exchange / continuous ion chromatography process in conjunction with its cost
effectiveness, simplicity and versatility.
