Global demand for rare earth resources and strategies for green mining.
Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential raw materials for emerging renewable energy resources and 'smart' electronic devices. Global REE demand is slated to grow at an annual rate of 5% by 2020. This high growth rate will require a steady supply base of REEs in the long run. At present, China is responsible for 85% of global rare earth oxide (REO) production. To overcome this monopolistic supply situation, new strategies and investments are necessary to satisfy domestic supply demands. Concurrently, environmental, economic, and social problems arising from REE mining must be addressed. There is an urgent need to develop efficient REE recycling techniques from end-of-life products, technologies to minimize the amount of REEs required per unit device, and methods to recover them from fly ash or fossil fuel-burning wastes.
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea.
Tanushree
T
Dutta
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kkim61@hanyang.ac.kr.
Ki-Hyun
KH
Kim
USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center, 1100 Robert E. Lee Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70124, United States.
Minori
M
Uchimiya
Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea.
Eilhann E
EE
Kwon
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea.
Byong-Hun
BH
Jeon
Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIR-CSIO), Sector 30C, Chandigarh 160030, India.
Akash
A
Deep
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and KU-KIST Green School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Seong-Taek
ST
Yun
D002681:China; D008674:Metals, Rare Earth / Q000032:analysis*; D008906:Mining / Q000379:methods*; D059027:Recycling
D008674:Metals, Rare Earth
Ion-adsorption; Preservation; Rare earth ore deposits; Recycling; Urban mining