Dobrescu, Emilian M. (2025), Potential of Reserve and the Recycling of Rare Earths, Intelligence Info, 4:3, 85-90, https://www.intelligenceinfo.org/potential-of-reserve-and-the-recycling-of-rare-earths/

 

Abstract

In 2011, there were over 312 exploration projects of REE deposits reviewed on the planet, involving over 202 companies of very diverse class from about 34 countries. Essential today in green technologies, based on rare metals is gallium, used to make LEDs, as well as indium, used for LCD type screens (liquid crystal display). Indium is also used for the construction of new generation photovoltaic panels (CIGS)

Keywords: China, United States, reserve, recycling, rare earths

Potențialul de rezervă și reciclarea pământurilor rare

Rezumat

În 2011, au fost analizate peste 312 proiecte de explorare a zăcămintelor de resurse rare (REE) pe planetă, implicând peste 202 companii de clasă foarte diversă din aproximativ 34 de țări. Esențial astăzi în tehnologiile verzi, bazate pe metale rare este galiul, utilizat pentru fabricarea LED-urilor, precum și indiul, utilizat pentru ecrane de tip LCD (afișaj cu cristale lichide). Indiul este utilizat și pentru construcția panourilor fotovoltaice de nouă generație (CIGS).

Cuvinte cheie: China, Statele Unite, rezervă, reciclare, pământuri rare

 

INTELLIGENCE INFO, Volumul 4, Numărul 3, Septembrie 2025, pp. 85-90
ISSN 2821 – 8159, ISSN – L 2821 – 8159
URL: https://www.intelligenceinfo.org/potential-of-reserve-and-the-recycling-of-rare-earths/
© 2025 Emilian M. DOBRESCU. Responsabilitatea conținutului, interpretărilor și opiniilor exprimate revine exclusiv autorilor.

 

Potential of Reserve and the Recycling of Rare Earths

Emilian M. DOBRESCU[1]
dobrescu@acad.ro

[1] Membru titular al Academiei Oamenilor de Știință

 

Potential of reserve of deposits operation

In 2011, there were over 312 exploration projects of REE deposits reviewed on the planet, involving over 202 companies of very diverse class from about 34 countries. REE mines from Mountain Pass, California (USA) have been the subject of significant investments to limit the hegemony of Chinese production of rare metals; it is also studied reopening some south-Africaine mines[1]. Some Canadian deposits (such as the one from Hoida Lake), Vietnamese, Australian and Russian deposits are also under evaluation.

In July 2011, a team of Japanese scientists from the University of Tokyo, led by researcher Yasuhiro Cato, announced that he discovered a new REE reserve in international waters of Pacific[2], which would raise the level of known reserves currently at about 110 billion tons; same source indicates that reserves are distributed in 78 sites located at depths from 3,000 to 6,000 meters in the international waters around Hawaii and Tahiti islands. In the richest areas in REE from Pacific, Japanese researchers have given assurances that the operation of deposits located on an area of 5 km² can cover global demand of such resources for a year. Even if the discovery is interesting, given the increasing demand for these raw materials, their extraction raises significant environmental problems.[3]

Japanese experts’ discovery is very important.[4] After Craig Smith, oceanographer at the University of Hawaii, the extraction of REE from oceans and marine environments requires the same as on terrestrial ground acid baths according to current technologies, which could have a particularly detrimental impact on those marine sites; they shelter fragile ecosystems, where many endemic species inhabit.

Yasuhiro Kato, one of the authors of rare metal deposits discovery off the Japanese territorial waters ensures us that the operation process of them will not pose any danger because the sites more acidic of water will not be poured in the Pacific Ocean, but will be filtered for the separation of harmful compounds. To appease the spirits, the Japanese expert said that operation in trade regime of REE deposits off the Japanese coasts will not start sooner than 20 years, enough time to improve current technologies of separation. However, discovering these huge reserves off the Pacific Ocean may overshadow the Chinese monopoly.

Under cover of environmental concerns, the Chinese authorities notified American authorities at the end of 2010, China’s desire to gradually reduce its exports of REE. When after 1985, Chinese politician Deng Xiaoping realized the strategic importance of control of these metals, China did not evaluate, nor tabulate only a quarter of its reserves of REE, which propelled it on the first place in the world. Then exporting at unbeatable prices, China has prevented any foreign competition, but without solving the waste problem resulting in the environment became thus very fragile. “Logically, Chinese monopoly should erode over the next 5 or 10 years, but it requires a deliberate effort to recycle REE, as well as to establish a strategic stockpile”, estimated in March 9, 2011, Francois Heisbourg, special adviser to the Foundation for strategic Studies, who expresses in this respect in front of a committee of the European Parliament Office to assess scientific and technological choices (OPECST).[5]

Recycling products containing rare metals

Essential today in green technologies, based on rare metals is gallium, used to make LEDs, as well as indium, used for LCD type screens (liquid crystal display). Indium is also used for the construction of new generation photovoltaic panels (CIGS), which already operates in French complex Saint Gobain Solar[6]; the latter case is particularly interesting because indium is a rare and expensive metal (costing about 600 dollars per kilogram), is sold in combination with silica, which is found in large quantity, which allows to the said mixture a better performance, but finally it returns more expensive; world annual production of indium is about 1,200 tons. In 2020, it aims to stabilize the use of indium up to 10-15 tons per year, following the idea of including this rare material in recycling programs of solar panels used currently.

In order to secure the supply of rare metals, industrialized and emerging countries, which depend on the use of these metals must act on three tracks:

1. reduce their use;
2. diversification of sources, opening new mines or reopening mines abandoned in front of the terrible competitiveness of REE in China;
3. recycling REE.

The most important strategy to recycle REE seems to have belonged to a French company, Rhodia. On 4 April 2011, Rhodia whose main activity was the recycling of rare metals, was acquired by Solvay et Silmet, whose capital was then purchased by Molymet company and thus resulted Molycorp Silmet, first world producer of REE, which thanks to the activities carried out, is no longer dependent on Chinese exports.

Currently, Molycorp Silmet is world leader of REE use; although it aims reducing the REE use exploited from deposits, Molycorp Silmet has signed a partnership for 10 years with Linas Company to exploit REE resources of Mount Weld mine, located in west of Australia.

Cases requiring recycling of rare metals

Thanks to this partnership, Mount Weld “urban mine” began in 2009 to apply in parallel with extraction, a new method for recovering and separating REE contained in used consumption bulbs. In these products – few people know – there are indeed 5-6 REE, including terbium, yttrium and europium, among the most difficult to find and separate, which makes them very expensive on the market: terbium is sold today in Europe at the price of 800 dollars / kg, compared to only 500 / kg in early 2010. Also, the use of terbium will increase in composition of several products, some of them considered strategic.[7]

After a study carried out by ADEME Company, which is based on forecasts of supply over demand in 2014, supply the world market with terbium and yttrium appears to be critical which makes it again be discussed recycling process of these rare metals. Collection pathway of used lamps is now well established in EU countries. In 2010, there were about 19,000 collection points in EU countries, and one recycling company – such as French eco-organism Recylum – managed to collect 3,650 tons fluocompacte[8] lamps. From them it “can be extracted 15 tons of yttrium, 1 tone of terbium and 1 tone of europium, exactly as they are now European needs”, as the director Recyclum, Herve Grimaud said; resulted luminophores powders, rich in these REE, thus can be made, almost free, at Rhodia disposition to be recycled and reintroduced to productive flows that require them.

This request for recycling large-scale, European – at the system participates with more or less success, all 27 EU countries – is not the first attempt of this kind. In early 2000, Rhodia had launched a project to recover REE contained in the catalytic pots, but it was finally abandoned for economic reasons.

In their essence, REE recycling processes are complex and costly. Thus, in order to set up a method for recycling REE, it takes about 3 years of research and development (only at the French company Rhodia, 50 researchers work in such a method) and the investment of 10 million euro, underlines Frederic Carencotte, industrial director at the company Rhodia Rare Earth. “Economic profitability should not be the first criterion leading to admission of such a project,” he admits, but “contribution of recovered rare metals have to diversify our resources and sustainable development. The fact of getting terbium 100 percent recycled many customers are interested. We have to wait a little longer to make a true supply with recycled REE”.

Also in France there is a REE recycling company in the town Saint- Fons, which was to produce in the first half of 2012, several hundred tons of recycled REE. And in 2014, a new industrial plant to recycle REE earths will be operational in the town La Rochelle, still in France.

At the end of the first quarter of 2012, Rhodia was the only REE recycling company in Europe, “able to refine and separate REE”, said Frederic Carencotte member of Rhodia personnel. Worldwide there is a battle unseen, where impressive forces are invested in people and money (given the prevalence of the system for strategic and military technologies, the sums and the amount of money invested are however not known) to move slowly, on grounds of economic, social and ecological efficiency, to recycling all REE, with industrial applications today or in the future.

In Japan, for example, more than 5,000 researchers work on this vital issue for this country devoted to the application of new technologies. In early 2012, the Institute of Industrial Sciences of the University of Tokyo announced that applies in a pilot plant a method that allows recycling neodymium in a percentage of up to 80 percent of consumed products that contain it.

This REE is still very desirable, especially in green technologies: a Prius car engine, for example, requires 1kg of neodymium to utilize it for its magnetic properties. To satisfy the needs for this rare metal of the current fleet of Japan, it would be necessary about 700,000 tons of neodymium, which obviously cannot be obtained only from current mining deposits, deposits in which Japan does not have at all.

In the above calculations, made only for a make of car and only for a country, it is added equally vast offshore wind turbine market, which consumes up to 600 kilograms of rare metal on a turbine to improve functioning and decrease maintenance costs … Calculations, obviously partial and incomplete, show that about 8 million tons of that metal, already used in current turbines, expects to be recyclable when they will be decommissioned. Meanwhile, it will be put in place the method of recycling that rare metal, as well as new technologies to increase the reliability of wind turbines.

Some experts doubt that will ever be overcome current technological limitations related to the recycling of REE, and then of rare metals. Doubt is a human quality, but which contributed to the current scientific progress. Jean-Claude Samama, former director of Higher National School of Geology in Nancy and emeritus professor of applied geology and Benoit de Guillebon, director of Apes (Technical Centre for Environment and Mastering Risks), authors of the book along with Philippe Bihouix “Quel futur pour les Metaux?” (“What future for metals?”) show in their book recycling metals limits. After them “recycling at a high cost, makes only delay waiting a few years. When the amount of energy required to extract rare metals will double, we must change imperative the view to look at things and current production way will focus on eco-design, especially in terms of rare metals.”[9]

 

Source: Emilian M. Dobrescu, The Rare Earths Economy

Note

[1] ***, Matieres premieres: l’OMC condamne la Chine, in Les Echos, January 9, 2010

[2] on the website http://www.futura-sciences.com/fr/news/t/developpementdurable-1/d/des-terres-rares-au-fond-du-pacifique_31280/#xtor=RSS-8, art. Des terres rares au fond du Pacifique, visited in July 19, 2012, at 5:11 a.m.

[3] ***, Mongolie: les terres rares empoisonnent l’environnement, on the website http://www.novethic.fr/novethic/planete/environnement/pollution/mongolie_terres_rares_empoisonnent_environnement/132199.jsp, visited in July 19, 2012, at 5:19 a.m. and ***, Grandes manoeuvres autour des metaux rares, in Le Monde, February 3, 2010

[4] sources: Bruno Scala, Des terres rares au fond du Pacifique, on the website www.Futura-Siences.com, visited in July 19, 2012, at 20:48 and Yuriko Nakao, Des terres de moins en moins rares, Reuters, July 6, 2011

[5] Béatrice Héraud, Terres rares: l’enjeu du recyclage, on the website www. novethic.com, visited in April 4, 2011

[6] idem

[7] idem

[8] ibidem

[9] ibidem