They are referred to as neodymium, praseodymium, cerium or dysprosium and are indispensable for our digital world: the uncommon earth metals are used within the manufacturing of wind energy turbines, flat screens and electrical vehicles.
By far the most important a part of the worldwide manufacturing quantity of uncommon earths comes from China. On Thursday, the Swedish state mining firm LKAB reported the most important recognized discover in Europe, with a quantity of a couple of million tons. Is this the possibility to interrupt free from dependence on China? Jens Gutzmer, an knowledgeable in useful resource expertise on the Helmholtz Institute in Freiberg (Saxony), classifies the potential of the discover for t-online.
What quantity of uncommon earths is required worldwide?
The annual manufacturing of all uncommon earths is presently round 250,000 tons worldwide. According to Gutzmer, international manufacturing continues to extend yearly, by greater than ten % between 2021 and 2022.
According to LKAB, the amount of uncommon earths positioned in Per Geijer in Sweden could be ample to cowl a big a part of future EU demand for the manufacturing of everlasting magnets. But it takes time to get there.
When can mining begin in Sweden?
The LKAB press launch speaks of a preparation time of ten to fifteen years. That is completely lifelike, says Gutzmer. “On the one hand, the exploration of the Per Geijer deposit is not yet complete, on the other hand, the regulatory and technical preparations and in particular all necessary considerations for the environmental impact of a mining project in Europe usually require five to ten years,” says the knowledgeable.
Is there an alternative choice to Per Geijer?
So not less than a decade till the primary funding – in opposition to the background of the speedy technical developments, that could be a lengthy interval that may solely be bridged by imports from China and different international locations. Or is there another?
“An obvious alternative is the iron ores from the Kiruna mine right next door. It produces many millions of tons of iron ores per year, which are very similar to those from the Per Geijer deposit. The ores also contain rare earth-bearing phosphates. These rare earths are today not separated, but remain in the mining residues,” says Gutzmer.
In his opinion, with the suitable expertise, uncommon earths and phosphate might already be extracted from the residues produced. “If this were possible, it would make a difference for the rare earth supply in Europe as early as next year,” says the scientist.
China is number one on the planet
But that’s idea. In follow, China is the grasp of uncommon earths and might use its supremacy as a political or strategic lever.
With about two-thirds of uncommon earth manufacturing, China dominates international manufacturing. According to a 2020 Commission report, the EU bought 98 % of its uncommon earth wants from China on the time. So the dependency is big.
Can the discover in Sweden free us from this? Gutzmer: “In fact, the rare earths from the Per Geijer deposit could cover a significant part of the demand for rare earths in Europe in the future. However, not only the mine at the Per Geijer deposit has to go into production, but also the technical problems, which are solved with the separation of the rare earths from the raw material available there.”
In Gutzmer’s opinion, LKAB, as a big and revolutionary mining firm, has the potential to deal with these technological issues: “The technology development will take a few years. In this respect, with the available lead time of ten years, it is exactly the right time to start developing the technologies for processing Rare earth elements from the iron ore of the Per Geijer deposit.”
EU desires to assist European initiatives
In order to face as much as the Chinese, mining initiatives like these in Sweden also needs to be promoted from Brussels. This spring, the EU Commission intends to suggest measures to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy in relation to vital uncooked supplies.
What in regards to the German deposits of uncommon earth oxides?
Rare earths may also be present in Germany. A deposit was positioned 600 meters beneath the Saxon village of Storkwitz about ten years in the past. Why don’t we put it up for sale? Gutzmer explains: “The mining and processing does not make economic sense.” This can also be as a result of how the metals are embedded within the earth. In the case of the Per Geijer deposit, it’s the mixture of iron ore (for the manufacturing of metal), phosphate (for the manufacturing of fertilizers) and uncommon earths that makes joint processing economically viable.
Is it price recycling outdated units?
We are ripping large quantities of uncommon earths from the earth to construct our digital future. But isn’t recycling price it? Of course, this might require new applied sciences and new business ideas, says Gutzmer.
However, for the right here and now one has to “recognize that the global demand for rare earths and other high-tech metals is increasing rapidly. This cannot be covered by recycling the quantities previously used. Here we will have to continue to use our natural raw material base.”
