https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Aluminium|Components|Export|Mining|SECURITY|Technology|Turbines|Waste|Water|Turbines|Waste
Aluminium|Components|Export|Mining|SECURITY|Technology|Turbines|Waste|Water|Turbines|Waste
aluminium|components|export|mining|security|technology|turbines-company|waste-company|water|turbines-person|waste

Rare earth elements discovered

24th September 2021

     

Font size: - +

Last month, mining company Australian Bauxite Limited (ABX) confirmed its discovery of rare earth element (REE) accumulations within its bauxite tenement in northern Tasmania that are enriched in the strategically important REE metals neodymium and praseodymium, along with terbium and dysprosium.

The REE metals discovered, are the main REE components of the super-magnets that are needed in electric vehicles, wind turbines, smart phones and military electronics.

“The prices of the four super-magnet types of REE are rising strongly due to the scarcity of these REEs, while the demand for them is rising exponentially due to the rapidly growing volumes needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines and military applications,” says ABX CEO Ian Levy.

He adds that, traditional hard-rock mines and processing plants take many years and billions in investment in technically difficult processing plants.

“For this reason, ABX has explored for a water-soluble type of REE occurrence which can be developed rapidly and at low cost to produce a concentrate of REE elements that can be sold to the existing processing plants so that they can expand production rapidly,” Levy highlights.

Reporting on the progress of ABX’s 87%-owned aluminium fluoride (AlF3) producer, Alcore, ABX reported that Alcore has achieved an innovative breakthrough using proprietary technology with the single-step production of AlF3 with grades comparable to commercial AlF3 specifications from 100% dross waste from an aluminium smelter, thus overcoming the high impurities in dross.

Dross use reduces Alcore’s conservative operating cost scenario by 20% to $800/t of AlF3 which is less than half the median long-term average China export price of $1 700/t.

“AlF3 markets are tight owing to reduced supply from China to Australasia in recent months,” says Levy commenting on the development.

He concludes by highlighting that AlF3 is an essential ingredient in aluminium smelters and Alcore’s planned production in Bell Bay, Tasmania, will provide security of supply and increased recycling of wastes for Australasian aluminium production, which is worth more than $4.5-billion a year.

Edited by Zandile Mavuso
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Features

Comments

Showroom

SAIMC (Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Mechatronics and Control)
SAIMC (Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Mechatronics and Control)

Education: Consulting with member companies to obtain the optimal benefits from their B-BBEE spending, skills resources as well as B-BBEE points

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Magni SA
Magni SA

Magni SA is committed to developing the safest Telehandlers available to our customers for underground and surface mining, construction, forestry,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.137 0.19s - 174pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now