Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
elements are so chemically similar” in order to separate
the nedymium from other rare earth elements (Biello
2010, 17).
The chemical processing of rare earth elements uses
electricity and water and leaves behind chemicals and
residuals, including thorium (a radioactive metal) and salt.
The environmental consequences of rare earth element
mining have historically been costly enough that produc-
tion stopped at Mountain Pass Mine in California in 2002,
in part because of the cost of complying with environmen-
tal laws in the United States.
A combination of looser environmental laws and
labor costs led to increased production of rare earth ele-
ments in China during the last decade (Fig. 13.19). In
Inner Mongolia, China, the extraction of rare earth ele-
ments at the Bayan-Obo mine alone accounts for 40 per-
cent of the world's supply. China closed off access to the
mine to all outsiders, but the mine's enormous pits and
waste ponds can still be viewed from space and even seen
using Google Earth (Fig. 13.20).
Because rare earth elements can be used in weap-
ons systems, the United States military blocked the
sale of Mountain Pass Mine to a Chinese company as a
matter of national security. Instead, Molycorp bought
Mountain Pass Mine and has begun extracting rare
earth elements again. Environmental regulations pre-
vent some of the steps in the processing of rare earths
from taking place in California. China will likely remain
the leading producer of rare earth elements. However,
recycling rare earth elements from discarded devices
and new mining efforts in the United States, Australia,
and Vietnam will likely improve the availability of rare
earth elements from sources outside of China in years
to come.
Figure 13.18
Lake Benton, Minnesota.
The wind park near Lake Benton,
Minnesota was developed beginning in 1994 and now includes
more than 600 wind turbines.
© Erin H. Fouberg.
Figure 13.19
Rare earth element production since
1964.
Courtesy of
: USGS, http://fi les.eesi.
org/usgs_china_030011.pdf
140
130
RARE EARTH ELEMENT
PRODUCTION
120
110
China
100
U.S.A.
90
Other
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1956
1965
1985
2002
2008
Monazite-placer
Era
Mountain Pass
Era
Chinese Era
?
