The country could become self-sufficient in this regard

Mar 9, 2010 08:18 GMT  ·  By
The National Ignition Facility uses the REM neodymium to produce glass for its lasers, which seek to achieve nuclear fusion
   The National Ignition Facility uses the REM neodymium to produce glass for its lasers, which seek to achieve nuclear fusion

Rare-Earth minerals (REM) are chemicals used throughout the high-tech industry today, from making wind turbines and hard drives to creating magnets for speakers and hybrid or electric cars. But the main problem with these compounds is, as the name dictates, that they are very rare. At this point, China is the country exporting most of the world's supply of REM, but supplies are already dwindling, and the Asian nation announced that it would stop exporting the stuff when reserves become insufficient to allow for use outside of its borders. But the United States may have found a solution to this problem.

The company US Rare Earths has recently discovered a new deposit of REM, which could include both light and heavy elements. Officials here say that, with a lot of investment, these exploitations could finally allow the country to become self-sufficient in this regard, and not depend on others for the precious material. The corporation now has two deposits of REM in its custody, one at Lehmi Pass, at the border between Idaho and Montana, and the other at Diamond Creek, Idaho. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), these deposits could ensure the necessary supply of rare elements that the country needs to become independent in this regard, LiveScience reports.

“The fact is, the Diamond Creek property is today, the most accessible, undeveloped rare earth resource with significant [heavy rare earths] that there is in North America,” explains Jack Lifton, who is an independent consultant for US Rare Earths. “There is already a shortage, because there are companies that already can't get enough material. No one's trying to expand their use of rare earths because they know there's not more available,” says former USGS rare earth specialist Jim Hedrick, who is now retired. According to the Survey, America could hold up to 13 million metric tons of REM.

“We have power, light and roads, so we're not in the middle of the wilderness. Many times opening a mine takes a certain period of time, but if there's a strategic need for material from government, that time period can be lessened. We're hopeful of that because of the nature of what's in the ground,” US Rare Earths CEO Ed Cowle says, quoted by TechNewsDaily. But the challenges ahead in opening a mine and the additional facilities are enormous. A separation plant to produce individual chemicals would require an investment of anywhere between $500 million and $1 billion, and about 8 years of construction time. Only China has such facilities at this point.