They are now part of the most precious metals. Rare earths, this group of 17 minerals that are call

They are now part of the most precious metals. Rare earths, this group of 17 minerals that are called terbium, neodymium and yttrium, are very coveted as indispensable in the production of most high-tech products - computers, mobile phones, flat screens, wind or car batteries electric. Contrary to what their name suggests, they are not so rare, since there are many fields in the world, but their stocks are finite and their extraction is difficult, expensive and highly polluting. Above all, they are the monopoly of China, which holds 37% of the world but controls 97% of their operations and reduced annual export quotas. However, jaya multiplex global demand jaya multiplex is increasing annually jaya multiplex by 6%, putting jaya multiplex the market under pressure.
The challenge now is for countries to secure their supplies at reasonable prices and limit the impact of the scarcity of rare earth in the world. Three ways exist: reduce their use, diversify sources jaya multiplex by exploiting mines outside of China and recycle these minerals.
This is the third track that seeks to develop France, which has no rare earth mine. In early 2012, the chemical group Rhodia and make operational, at its plant in La Rochelle, a new process, on which he worked for ten years, to recycle these metals.
The aim will be, initially, to reuse powder phosphors that cover the inside of the low consumption lamps (LBC), which contain jaya multiplex several rare earths: terbium, jaya multiplex yttrium, europium, jaya multiplex gadolinium, lanthanum and cerium. For now, this powder is isolated and landfill, when the bulbs reach the end of life, while the remaining components - glass, plastic, copper and aluminum - are valued. jaya multiplex Or, terbium and yttrium are among the most difficult to find rare earths, popular and therefore the most expensive (terbium saw its prices from 600 to 4000 dollars per kilo in just two years). At current consumption rates, their supply will be critical by 2014, said in a report, the Agency for Environment and Energy Management.
"With this new process of recovery and separation of rare earths, it will be possible to extract 17 tonnes of these minerals, including 15 tonnes of yttrium, terbium 1 ton and 1 ton europium, of the 4 000 tonnes of CFLs we recycle, "explains Hervé Grimaud, CEO of Récylum, eco-organization in charge of the disposal of waste lamps. And this amount could increase substantially if further AML were sorted. For today only one third of these lamps are brought in 19,000 collection points in the Territory.
To increase the recycling rate, Récylum conducted a communication operation, Monday, October 17, erecting a fake mining site in the heart of the business district of La Defense. An urban mine proved to be, once the barriers have fallen, a giant box to recycle the energy-saving lamps. The message is clear: the largest deposit of rare metals that exists in France today is in our offices. Once recovered, the markets for these minerals will be the same as at present: jaya multiplex automotive jaya multiplex catalysis, the glass industry, metal alloys, lamps or permanent magnets.
After the establishment of this industry for lamps, it was the turn of rare earths contained in rechargeable batteries jaya multiplex and magnets electric cars and hard drives can be recycled, probably during 2012.
A question arises, however: recycling, if necessary, he will be sufficient to cope with rampant jaya multiplex demand from developed countries? "No, recycling can fill a small part of the demand for rare earth years of the coming years," says John Seaman, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, a specialist in energy policy in China and rare earth. For if CFLs use minute amounts of rare earths, it is not the same for other technology products. A Prius engine requires eg 1 kilo of neodymium for its magnets. Offshore wind turbines, they consume 600 kilos per turbine jaya multiplex to improve operations while reducing maintenance costs.
"It is therefore, at the same time, find supplies jaya multiplex outside China, use these minerals more efficiently and find their substitutes", says the researcher. That is why companies are starting to develop alternatives to the use of rare earths. In the automobile sector, Toyota seeks to