“There
will be no Mining operations and related pressures on the environment”
Comments by Chairman of
the JBI (Jamaica Bauxite Institute), Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee, at the Ground
breaking Ceremony for Nippon Light Metal Company Limited Extraction Plant
After
the announcement by Minister of Science, Technology Energy and Mining Phillip
Paulwell of Jamaica’s intention to extract Rare Earth Metals from Red Mud
located in the RDA (Residue Disposal Area) as originally reported in my blog
article entitled “Japan’s
Nippon Light Metal Company Limited to mine Rare Earth elements in Jamaica -
Jack Reacher recycling gadgets for Rare Earth Elements”,
the progress has been relatively brisk.
Please
take note of the Word “extraction”…..it’ll pop up later in my article!
This
is surprisingly fast for a Government traditionally known for dragging its feet
on FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) matters! Minister Phillip Paulwell and Prime
Minister Portia Simpson Miller participated in ground breaking exercise for the
Extraction of Rare Earth Metals on Monday February 4th 2013.
The
Ground breaking Ceremony took with Japanese officials from Nippon Light Metal
Company Limited as reported in “Ground
broken for Rare-Earth Project”, published Tuesday,
February 05, 2013 | 8:23 AM, The
Jamaica Observer and “Jamaica
breaks ground on rare-earth project”, published February
4, 2013 by David Mcfadden, PhysOrg.
Again
note that this is a Rare Earth Extraction Plant, not Mining. The Rare Earth
Metals are already in colloidal suspension in the Red Mud Residue at
concentration levels 2500 time higher on average than normally found in Red Mud
in RDA for other Bauxite Mining operations worldwide as noted in “Up
to 2,500 per cent higher concentration levels in Ja’s red Mud 'God-blessed
dirt'”, published Wednesday, February 13, 2013 BY JULIAN RICHARDSON
Assistant business co-ordinator, The Jamaica Observer.
Precipitation
via the addition of a Chemical Binding Agent to react with and make an
organo-metallic complex with the Rare Earth Metal. This then settles out of
solution and then the Spent Liquor is decanted and recycled back into the
process. The remaining residue at the bottom of the Precipitation Tanks is the
Green Liquor, and is the first stage of Extraction.
Centrifuging
is then used to separate the different Rare Earth Metals via Mass and then the
Separate Mixtures either oxidized by a strong oxidizing agent to again
precipitate out as an Oxide. This allows the Chemical Binding Agent to be
recycled (especially if it’s very expensive in the Process) or Calcination to
basically oxidize the Rare Earth to a Oxide, the usual form Rare Earths are
sold. Milling and grading to produce powders of various particle size as per
requirement by clients is the last stage; presentation is key in selling these
toxic Rare Earth Metals.
As
such, the Process as suggested above present no direct Mining impact on the
environment as, say, Gold Mining would. NEPA (National Environment and Planning
Agency) approval further proves this as noted in “NEPA
gives OK to rare earth minerals application”, published
Thursday January 24, 2013 | 10:10, The
Jamaica Gleaner, as ironically this Rare Earth
Extraction is a further Recycling of the Red Mud that’s gathering space at the
back of Bauxite companies and using up Land that would have other Productive
uses.
In
an interview with the Jamaica
Information Service a few days later as noted in “Red Mud Project No
Danger to Environment”, published Monday, 11 February 2013
16:52 by Alecia Smith-Edwards, Jamaica
Information Service, Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee, Chairman of the
JBI (Jamaica Bauxite Institute) gives a better answer as it relates to handling
of the Bauxite Waste.
His
explanation goes into a bit more detail on how safe the Rare Earth Extraction
is from Red Mud located in the RDA, quote: “This red Mud will be neutralized
with acid, that’s the first thing we do. The red Mud that we have in our various
Mud containment ponds…are very safe and secure. It’s caustic (and) alkaline and
some people would classify it as a hazardous material. This process is going to
neutralize it so it would then be non-toxic. We will then be extracting the
rare earth elements, Oxides, from this red Mud”.
Doesn’t
get any more straightforward than that!
Public
consultations aren’t necessary either as concluded in “No
public consultation on rare minerals pilot plant construction”,
published Sunday February 10, 2013 6:12 pm, The Jamaica Gleaner.
The Rare Earth Extraction will make the problem of having a RDA disappear over
time as the Extraction process picks up steam. So it’s already going to be a
benefit to the people who have had to tolerate the Caustic Soda (NaOH) smell
from the RDA for years.
Added
to that the fact that it’s the right type of FDI income generating activity
needed for Jamaica post-NDX (National Debt Exchange) as described in my blog
article entitled “Jamaican
Government to implement NDX, essentially JDX2 2.0 to get IMF Agreement - Tax
Reform and FDI Investments Bullet to the Head and Oblivion”,
and the GOJ’s “youthful exuberance” over this project is explainable.
But
the Good News of Metal Extractions (notice the word again!!) apparently doesn’t
stop there.
Turns
out after the Rare Earth have been extracted, there may also be Titanium and
Iron, also in considerably high concentration, left behind in the waste of
Tailings that can also be further extracted. Titanium Oxide and Iron Oxide,
both oxides of Transition Metals, may be further by-products that can be extracted
from the Red Mud located in the RDA (Residue Disposal Area) as stated in the
article “Jamaica
hopes to harvest titanium from red Mud”, published Wednesday
February 13, 2013, The
Jamaica Gleaner.
Even
more interesting, a tested, tried and proven method exists to resuscitate mined
out Bauxite lands.
This
method of Land resuscitation for Agricultural usage involves using Gypsum,
chemical name calcium sulfate di-hydrate [CaSO4•2(H2O)]
and dried Organic Waste from Farming or just simply Compost mixed into topsoil
of mined-out Bauxite Lands as stated in the article “NCU
scientist points to recognised solution for alumina dumps”,
published Monday, February 11, 2013 BY RHOMA TOMLINSON Observer writer, The Jamaica Gleaner.
If
this method of Bauxite Land Resuscitation which was developed by NCU (Northern
Caribbean University) Dr. Mark Harris is applied wholesale, it would close the
loop as it relates to the effect of Bauxite Mining on Jamaica. This as it would
allow former mined out lands to be returned to Agricultural productivity,
effectively a recycling even the very land used for Bauxite Mining.
Thus
the fears of Opposition Finance spokesperson Audley Shaw are unfounded as noted
in “Shaw
concerned about environmental impact of rare earth project”,
published Wednesday February 20, 2013 7:34 am, RJR News Online.
No Mining is involved, merely extraction, with the waste products
post-extraction of Rare Earth Metals being further recyclable for Titanium and
Iron. And as an additional plus, and the land being further resuscitated via an
already approved method being used by the JBI and developed, ironically, by the
NCU from Manchester.
These
are big revelations being made even as construction for the plant gets
underway. Farming stands to benefit in The Place Beyond the
Pines (2013). Even better, it’s now a strong
incentive to shut down the Scrap Metal Trade as All You Need is Kill
(2013) via Rare Earth Metal Mining, as there’s more Iron
and Titanium in the Red Mud than currently legally available lying around to be
picked up in Jamaica.
1 comment:
Hey Linsworth, What is the name of the extraction process the company will be using to extract the earth metals? I'm assuming this is the process you described in your article?
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