Japan to mine rare earths in Pacific Ocean
Geologists estimate the seabed might hold 100 billion tonnes, almost as much as surface deposits. Tokyo can thus break China’s monopoly, which caused prices to skyrocket in the past year. However, mining underwater might cause serious damages to the ocean.
Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Japan today announced the discovery of vast rare earths deposits on the floor of the Pacific Ocean that can be readily extracted. This should strip China of its monopoly. In recent months, Beijing had cut back on sales, pushing prices up. However, the discovery is raising concerns over possible sea pollution.
“The deposits have a heavy concentration of rare earths. Just one square kilometre (0.4 square mile) of deposits will be able to provide one-fifth of the current global annual consumption," said Yasuhiro Kato, an associate professor of earth science at the University of Tokyo, whose team, which includes researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, made the find.
Details of the discovery were published on Monday in the online version of British journal Nature Geoscience.
The minerals were found at depths of 3,500 to 6,000 metres (11,500-20,000 ft) below the ocean surface at 78 locations in international waters in an area stretching east and west of Hawaii, as well as east of Tahiti in French Polynesia.
The level of uranium and thorium was found to be one-fifth of those in deposits on land.
The rare earths contained in the deposits amounted to 80 to 100 billion tonnes, compared to global reserves currently to be just 110 million tonnes, found mainly in China, Russia and other former Soviet countries, and the United States.
Rare earths are 17 elements that essential for high tech industries making electronics, magnets and batteries.
For decades, China was the main supplier, selling rare earths at cheap prices, meeting about 97 per cent of world demand.
However, Beijing last year announced its intention to cut back on production drastically and progressively to preserve the resource for domestic and future needs.
This has dramatically pushed up prices since it will take time for other producers to respond to demand, especially in areas where production had been abandoned because of Chinese competition.
Japan, which accounts for a third of global demand of these metals, has had supply problems ever since in obtaining gadolinium, lutetium, terbium and dysprosium.
The cost of dysprosium oxide, which is used in magnets, lasers and nuclear reactors, has risen to about US$ 1,470 a kilogram from US$ 700 to US$ 740 at the start of the month. The price for terbium oxide, used in hybrid cars and sonar systems, has risen from around US$ 1,350 to 3,000 in three weeks since early June.
Japan's imports of rare earths from China fell 3 per cent in May from April, the first month-on-month drop in three months.
Yin Jianhua, analyst at state-owned consultancy Antaike, said China’s biggest producer of rare earths sold only 1,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides in the first quarter of this year, compared with an annual output of more than 50,000 tonnes.
It is unclear how quickly new producers can supply the market, but the new race has raised environmental fears. Residues dumped back into the sea can negatively affect the seabed.
“The deposits have a heavy concentration of rare earths. Just one square kilometre (0.4 square mile) of deposits will be able to provide one-fifth of the current global annual consumption," said Yasuhiro Kato, an associate professor of earth science at the University of Tokyo, whose team, which includes researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, made the find.
Details of the discovery were published on Monday in the online version of British journal Nature Geoscience.
The minerals were found at depths of 3,500 to 6,000 metres (11,500-20,000 ft) below the ocean surface at 78 locations in international waters in an area stretching east and west of Hawaii, as well as east of Tahiti in French Polynesia.
The level of uranium and thorium was found to be one-fifth of those in deposits on land.
The rare earths contained in the deposits amounted to 80 to 100 billion tonnes, compared to global reserves currently to be just 110 million tonnes, found mainly in China, Russia and other former Soviet countries, and the United States.
Rare earths are 17 elements that essential for high tech industries making electronics, magnets and batteries.
For decades, China was the main supplier, selling rare earths at cheap prices, meeting about 97 per cent of world demand.
However, Beijing last year announced its intention to cut back on production drastically and progressively to preserve the resource for domestic and future needs.
This has dramatically pushed up prices since it will take time for other producers to respond to demand, especially in areas where production had been abandoned because of Chinese competition.
Japan, which accounts for a third of global demand of these metals, has had supply problems ever since in obtaining gadolinium, lutetium, terbium and dysprosium.
The cost of dysprosium oxide, which is used in magnets, lasers and nuclear reactors, has risen to about US$ 1,470 a kilogram from US$ 700 to US$ 740 at the start of the month. The price for terbium oxide, used in hybrid cars and sonar systems, has risen from around US$ 1,350 to 3,000 in three weeks since early June.
Japan's imports of rare earths from China fell 3 per cent in May from April, the first month-on-month drop in three months.
Yin Jianhua, analyst at state-owned consultancy Antaike, said China’s biggest producer of rare earths sold only 1,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides in the first quarter of this year, compared with an annual output of more than 50,000 tonnes.
It is unclear how quickly new producers can supply the market, but the new race has raised environmental fears. Residues dumped back into the sea can negatively affect the seabed.
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