SMM, April 19: Japanese researchers have found rare earth and yttrium deposits in deep-sea mud 1800 kilometers (1120 miles) southeast of Tokyo, with reserves available for global consumption for hundreds of years, according to media reports.
According to an article published last week by the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, Kobe University and five other institutions, Japan's recently identified reserves of rare earths will be one of the most important elements in modern society and have great potential in mined minerals.
Dudley Kingsnorth, executive director of (Industrial Minerals Company of Australia Pty), an Australian industrial minerals company based in Perth, said: rare earths are relatively rich in the earth's crust, but less recoverable than other ores. While Japan's discovery may reduce China's dominance in rare earth mines, we need to overcome the challenges of the resulting environmental and economic problems first.
"end-users prefer a diverse supply, but we need to hold our breath and wait for more work to be done," Kingsnorth, a professor at the Western Australian Institute of Mining, said in an interview on Wednesday. "they have to assess the impact on the environment."
New research estimates that deep-sea mud in Japan's exclusive economic zone contains 16 million tons of rare earth resources and yttrium. According to the United States, China's reserves of rare earth oxides are 44 million tons.
The geological survey estimates that "Japan will ship rare earth deposits to its own laboratory, the first step is to determine whether it is a rare earth deposit, and the second step is to consider" can we build a sufficient scale of production to make it commercially feasible? " "it's too early for this," Kingsnorth said.
