China to Set New Standards for Rare Earth Producers

SHANGHAI, Apr. 22 (SMM) – China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is going to set new standards for domestic rare earth producers, and is now soliciting public opinion for Standard Conditions for Rare Earth Industry (2016 Edition) and Management Measures of Notice of Standard Conditions for Rare Earth Industry.  

In accordance with Standard Conditions for Rare Earth Industry (2016 Edition), enterprises engaged in rare earth mining must strictly take mining activities based on the approved development and utilization program and exploitation plan; Illegal exploitation activities, involving unlicensed, cross-border and beyond-quota exploitation, will be forbidden; Mining and dressing technologies which wastes resources, and unfriendly to environment will be also forbidden.

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Production Scale

Production scale at mixed-type rare earth ore mining enterprise should not be below 20,000 tpy (oxides, similarly hereinafter), not below 5,000 tpy for bastnasite ore mining enterprise, and 500 tpy for ionic-type rare earth mining enterprise. Monazite exploitation will be forbidden. Production scale should not below 8,000 tpy for independent smelting and separation enterprise using mixed-type rare earth ore, not below 5,000 tpy for independent smelting and separation enterprise using bastnasite ore, and not below 3,000 tpy for independent smelting and separation enterprise using ionic-type rare earth ore. The minimum capital proportion of fixed-assets investment project for all kinds mentioned above should not be below 20%. 

Production Technology and Equipment 

Rare earth exploitation, smelting and separation enterprise should employ low-pollution, emission, energy-consumption, and economic and effective production technologies. Mature technologies listed in Catalogues of Cleaner Production Technologies in Key Sectors should be popularized. Mixed-type rare earth and bastnasite ore mining enterprise should be equipped with facility dealing with three wastes, waste ore yard, and tailings dump. Ionic-type rare earth mining enterprise should employ in-situ leaching technology and the likes which are friendly to resources and environment protection, and should not adopt backward technologies, such as pond or heap leaching. Rare earth smelting and separation enterprise should use clean, effective extraction and separation technologies, and not backward technologies. 

Resources Utilization 

Loss and dilution rate of mixed-type rare earth and bastnasite ore should be not be above 10%. Dressing recovery rate for common ore should be above 75%, and that for low-grade and difficulties in dressing and smelting should be above 65%, with recycle rate of water in production above 85%. Comprehensive recovery rate of ionic-type rare earth mining and dressing should be above 75%, with recycle rate of water in production above 90%. Total rare-earth yield rate at mixed-type rare earth and bastnasite ore project, from concentrates to mixed rare earth, should be above 92%, and from mixed to single or enrichment of rare earth compounds, should be above 96%. Total rare-earth yield rate at ionic-type rare earth project, from mixed to single or enrichment of rare earth compounds, should be above 94%.  

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