4 ms·

Depends which elements you want to recover. The main problem is the economic aspect of recovery - this is due to the fact that one has to collect the materials

by wuschel 13y ago

Depends which elements you want to recover. The main problem is the economic aspect of recovery - this is due to the fact that one has to collect the materials from a multitude of electronic devices and bring them through a chemical purification process. Rising rare element prices might change this in the future. Addendum: quick google search gave http://www.molycorp.com/ http://www.molycorp.com/ as a developer of recycling technology.

Tuna-Fish 13y ago
> Rising rare element prices might change this in the future. They can't. The mining of rare elements isn't constrained by resources, only cost. Setting up the kind of infrastructure needed for REE recovery would always cost more than mining, so if the prices start going up again, mining will just be expanded.
- DanBC 13y ago
  I don't quite understand how it's cheaper to dig massive holes in the ground and process that dirt to extract REE than it is to grind up all the waste electronics and extract copper, tin, gold, REE from that.
  - Tuna-Fish 13y ago
    Digging holes in the ground is actually much easier and cheaper than you'd think. Almost all of the costs of a running REE mine are in the separation part. REE is usually used in small amounts in alloys, or especially in electronics, in very thin films and such. Because of this, simply shredding it doesn't quite do it -- after you ground it, what you have is basically a very poor ore of the material, and rather than extracting things from it, it would be cheaper to just get better stuff from the ground.
- wuschel 13y ago
  > The mining of rare elements isn't constrained by resources, only cost. Ok, I am not an expert on the topic of REE mining, consumption and recovery, but I would say that availibility and access of mining sites are a strong factor e.g. at some point of rare earth element consumption the parties mining these elements might be able to dictate prices. I am pretty sure that RE mined in China might have a special tax for export. Might be interesting to look up some cost information regarding the recycling and mining processes.
  - Tuna-Fish 13y ago
    REE can be mined almost everywhere. Almost every country larger than Luxembourg has multiple rich REE deposits. Traditionally, the location providing their supply has depended on where mining and separation has been the cheapest, meaning usually the place with the laxest labor and environmental laws. (It's also been somewhat influenced by political stability, since separation requires capital-intensive equipment. This is the only reason all your REE doesn't come from Africa.) It's hard to build a monopoly on a resource when basically anyone can just start a new mine if you ask too much for it. China does not have a separate export tax -- they have strict export quotas. This makes sense, as given how high the externalities of cheap REE mining are, it makes little sense for them to mine cheaply and then give it to foreigners.

by wuschel 13y ago

Tuna-Fish 13y ago

> Rising rare element prices might change this in the future. They can't. The mining of rare elements isn't constrained by resources, only cost. Setting up the kind of infrastructure needed for REE recovery would always cost more than mining, so if the prices start going up again, mining will just be expanded.

DanBC 13y ago
I don't quite understand how it's cheaper to dig massive holes in the ground and process that dirt to extract REE than it is to grind up all the waste electronics and extract copper, tin, gold, REE from that.
- Tuna-Fish 13y ago
  Digging holes in the ground is actually much easier and cheaper than you'd think. Almost all of the costs of a running REE mine are in the separation part. REE is usually used in small amounts in alloys, or especially in electronics, in very thin films and such. Because of this, simply shredding it doesn't quite do it -- after you ground it, what you have is basically a very poor ore of the material, and rather than extracting things from it, it would be cheaper to just get better stuff from the ground.
wuschel 13y ago
> The mining of rare elements isn't constrained by resources, only cost. Ok, I am not an expert on the topic of REE mining, consumption and recovery, but I would say that availibility and access of mining sites are a strong factor e.g. at some point of rare earth element consumption the parties mining these elements might be able to dictate prices. I am pretty sure that RE mined in China might have a special tax for export. Might be interesting to look up some cost information regarding the recycling and mining processes.
- Tuna-Fish 13y ago
  REE can be mined almost everywhere. Almost every country larger than Luxembourg has multiple rich REE deposits. Traditionally, the location providing their supply has depended on where mining and separation has been the cheapest, meaning usually the place with the laxest labor and environmental laws. (It's also been somewhat influenced by political stability, since separation requires capital-intensive equipment. This is the only reason all your REE doesn't come from Africa.) It's hard to build a monopoly on a resource when basically anyone can just start a new mine if you ask too much for it. China does not have a separate export tax -- they have strict export quotas. This makes sense, as given how high the externalities of cheap REE mining are, it makes little sense for them to mine cheaply and then give it to foreigners.