Global demand for rare earth resources and strategies for green mining
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul 04763 (Korea, Republic of)
- USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center, 1100 Robert E. Lee Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70124 (United States)
- Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006 (Korea, Republic of)
- Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul 04763 (Korea, Republic of)
- Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIR-CSIO), Sector 30C, Chandigarh 160030 (India)
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and KU-KIST Green School, Korea University, Seoul 02841 (Korea, Republic of)
Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential raw materials for emerging renewable energy resources and ‘smart’ electronic devices. Global REE demand is slated to grow at an annual rate of 5% by 2020. This high growth rate will require a steady supply base of REEs in the long run. At present, China is responsible for 85% of global rare earth oxide (REO) production. To overcome this monopolistic supply situation, new strategies and investments are necessary to satisfy domestic supply demands. Concurrently, environmental, economic, and social problems arising from REE mining must be addressed. There is an urgent need to develop efficient REE recycling techniques from end-of-life products, technologies to minimize the amount of REEs required per unit device, and methods to recover them from fly ash or fossil fuel-burning wastes.
- OSTI ID:
- 22689488
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Research, Journal Name: Environmental Research Vol. 150; ISSN ENVRAL; ISSN 0013-9351
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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