Japan's massive rare earth deposit could be commercially extracted

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More than 16 million tons of rare-earth materials discovered near Minamitorishima Island, Japan, in 2013 could be economically extracted to fulfill global demand in the near future, a team of Japanese researchers claimed.

Rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY) are crucial materials for hybrid vehicles, rechargeable batteries, wind turbines, light emitting diodes, and many medical and military technologies. In recent years, renewable energy and technology sector has further driven up its demand.

According to a research recently published in Nature, REY-rich mud has vast potential as a rare-earth metal resource because of the enormous amount available and its advantageous mineralogical features. There is enough yttrium to meet the global demand for 780 years, dysprosium for 730 years, europium for 620 years, and terbium for 420 years.

A study titled, "The global rare earth element exploration boom", published last year claimed more than 85 percent of the supply of rare-earth element is derived from China. Extraction and processing of the elements got a significant push as other large players started to leave the market in the late 1990s.

Over a timeframe of just four years, the rare-earth mineral resources outside of China have more than doubled from 40 Mt to 98 Mt from 2012 to 2016. Researchers feel this boom is mainly attributable to the activities of exploration companies in Australia, Canada, Greenland, and Africa.

Experts estimate that China extracted around 150,000 tons of rare earth in 2016, but has in the past restricted the supply amid political tensions. For this reason, "Japan is looking for several ways of freeing itself from any dependence on Chinese supply," Gaetan Lefebvre, an expert at the French Geological Survey told AFP.

Japan, a major manufacturer of electronic products, has been actively exploring rare-earth metals for over a decade. A consortium of Japanese government-backed entities, companies, and researchers plans to conduct a feasibility test within the next five years.

Researchers conducted additional separation experiments of REY-rich mud with a hydrocyclone separator, which would be an applicable technology on an industrial scale.

[Top image: A worker waters the site of a rare earth metals mine at Nancheng county, Jiangxi province January 16, 2011. /Reuters Photo]