Rare Earth Elements: A Review of Production, Processing ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Rare Earth Elements Review Section 4 – Resource Processing Figure 4-3. Anticipated Molycorp Mountain Pass mine water reclamation process and potential waste emissions. 4-10
Rare Earth Elements Review Section 5 – Rare Earth Element Recovery/Alternative Material Use 5. Rare Earth Element Recovery/Alternative Material Use Increased demand and reduced supply of REEs, along with the knowledge of the quantities available in waste products, has resulted in expanded research and development efforts focused on the recycling of rare earths. Currently, commercial recycling of rare earths is very limited; however, it is reported in the literature that, within the next year, several new commercial recycling operations will begin operation, with the focus being on magnets, batteries, lighting and luminescence, and catalysts. Recycling of postconsumer, end-of-life products, typically involves four key steps: (1) collection; (2) dismantling; (3) separation (preprocessing); and (4) processing. A general description of each step is provided, along with the potential waste streams and environmental impacts. While environmental impacts can occur, when compared with primary processing, it is reported that controlled recycling of REEs will provide significant benefits with respect to air emissions, groundwater protection, acidification, eutrophication, and climate protection. 5.1 Introduction While research on methods for recycling and recovering REEs from as early as 1984 was identified during our literature review, it is not until recently that more attention within industry and the literature has been given to the topic of REE recycling. The primary drivers for this renewed focus include the increased demand for REEs, concern about REE supplies, increasing cost of REEs, and new policies implemented by some countries mandating REE recycling for selected items. For example, � Annual global production of REEs totals about 124,000 tons, according to a July 2010 report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service. By 2014, global demand could exceed 200,000 tons per year, which would exceed current production by over 75,000 tons per year, according to the report (Humphries, 2010); � Currently, China produces over 95 percent of all REEs used in the world. This monopoly has resulted in concerns with respect to supplies and prices of REEs; and � Prices are increasing rapidly for REEs and REOs. Dysprosium, which sold for $300/kg in 2010, is selling for $3,600/kg in 2011 (Gordon, 2011). Figure 5-1 illustrates price trends for selected REOs over the past few years. 5-1
Page 1 and 2:
Rare Earth Elements Review Table of
Page 3 and 4:
Foreword The U.S. Environmental Pro
Page 5 and 6: Abstract Rare earth elements (REEs)
Page 7 and 8: Table of Contents List of Acronyms
Page 9 and 10: List of Tables 2-1. Abundance of El
Page 11 and 12: Rare Earth Elements Review List of
Page 13 and 14: Rare Earth Elements Review Section
Page 55: Rare Earth Elements Review Section
Page 107 and 108:
Rare Earth Elements Review Section
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Rare Earth Elements Review Appendix
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
show all

Rare Earth Elements: A Review of Production, Processing ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?