Rock & Gem

No Need to Mine for these Rare Earth Elements

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Rare earth elements, metals and oxides (REEs) are essential ingredient­s for modern electronic technologi­es. You nd them in cell phones, solar cells, wind turbines, fuel cells and batteries, lasers, high-performanc­e neodymium magnetics and more.

Although not really rare within the Earth’s crust, REEs are seldom found in pure, concentrat­ed deposits. is makes them dicult to mine. Now, a new process has been developed that allows us to extract REEs by recycling discarded electronic devices. It even allows for capturing REEs from coal €y ash.

The process, described in the journal Science Advances by Bing Deng and colleagues from Rice University, involves hitting waste products with pulses of electrical heat, or “€ash heating.” In some instances, that heat spikes to nearly 5,500°F in just one second. is new method is cleaner and much more ecient than current methods.

is new method is not ready for prime time. While it has proven successful at a small scale, much work is needed to succeed at an industrial scale. Still, it o’ers hope for capturing and retaining these key resources rather than relegating electronic waste to the land ll or de ling entire landscapes for fresh ore supplies.

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