Not going to link to news stories, but apparently ~90% of the world's supply of processed rare earths comes from China.
Despite their name, rare earths are not rare. They are, however, difficult to separate (from the ores), and apparently the usual separation processes can be quite harmful, environmentally speaking (cited as one reason why the main US site/plant was shut down, and why the only "big" one still operating outside China is not in Australia but Malaysia).
But what is it about the processing that is so nasty?
Despite their name, rare earths are not rare. They are, however, difficult to separate (from the ores), and apparently the usual separation processes can be quite harmful, environmentally speaking (cited as one reason why the main US site/plant was shut down, and why the only "big" one still operating outside China is not in Australia but Malaysia).
But what is it about the processing that is so nasty?
via International Skeptics Forum http://bit.ly/2YPTbns
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