BBC News - The indigenous groups fighting against the quest for 'white gold'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66520097

#indigenous rights #firstnations #firstpeople #justice #sustainability #rareearthelements

So, about the new round of #USGS #Mendehall #Postdoc #Fellowship opportunities…

The #MojaveDesert has a long history of #mining (see, for example, http://www.desertsymposium.org/publications/2023_Mines_of_the_Mojave.pdf). From 19th century mule teams hauling boron, to the uranium boom of the 1950’s, to modern mining operations like the Mountain Pass #RareEarthElements #mine, the #Mojave has been in the middle. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a part of that history then do we have the opportunity for you!

The need for #CriticalMinerals, like #lithium or #RareEarth #minerals for use in gadgets and as part of the transition to clean energy has never been greater. Mendenhall Opportunity 22-13, “Constraining the geologic and tectonic conditions of critical element mineralization in the Mojave Desert, California” (https://www.usgs.gov/centers/mendenhall-research-fellowship-program/22-13-constraining-geologic-and-tectonic-conditions), seeks a #postdoc to apply #GeologicMapping, #geochemistry, and #geochronology to better characterize critical minerals systems in the Mojave. The application window opens 1 September and closes on 1 November.

AAAS: "Treasure Hunt." For decades, companies have been shifting mining operations abroad, partly to avoid stringent U.S. regulations. The last national survey was a quest for uranium which ended in the 1980s. U.S. is embarrassingly “undermapped” compared with most developed countries, including Australia, Canada, and even Ireland. In 2021, sensor-laden aircraft with magnetometers + gamma ray spectrometers + laser altimeters + other gear began surveying for precious metals. Geologists 'eventually uncovered deposits containing billions of dollars’ worth of zirconium, niobium, + other elements critical in electronics, defense, and renewable energy technologies.' A bipartisan consensus in Washington supports the need for locating reliable sources of 50 mined substances that now come mostly from other countries, including some that are unfriendly or unstable. 'List, created by USGS at the direction of Congress, contains not only the 17 rare earth elements produced mostly in China, but also less exotic materials such as zinc, used to produce steel, and cobalt, used in [some, not all] electric car batteries.' In 2019, USGS began the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, or Earth MRI, with a modest annual budget of $10 million. In 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law directed $320 million into the program—nearly one-third of the entire USGS budget—to be spent over 5 years. Lengthy article worth reviewing in much greater detail. #rareearthelements #lithium #miningindustry

Tesla’s magnet mystery shows Elon Musk is willing to compromise - Enlarge / A 158 kW electric motor for the front-wheel drive of a Tesla ... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=1935922 #batteryelectricvehicle #rareearthelements #rareearthmetals #tesla #cars

Ars Technica: Tesla’s magnet mystery shows Elon Musk is willing to compromise https://arstechnica.com/?p=1935922 #Tech #arstechnica #IT #Technology #batteryelectricvehicle #rareearthelements #rareearthmetals #Tesla #Cars

The Tyee: The Rising Chorus of Renewable Energy Skeptics (in Analysis) https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/04/07/Rising-Chorus-Renewable-Energy-Skeptics/ #bcnews #TheTyee - via @tyee@mstdn.ca #TheRareMetalsWar:TheDarkSideofCleanEnergy #KleinmanCentreforEnergyPolicy #InternationalEnergyAgency #MiningAssociationofCanada #RenewableEnergySkeptics #ExtractiontoExtinction #globalminingfootprint #CobaltmininginCongo #AliceJ.Friedemann #rareearthelements #WalterYoungquist #GuillaumePitron #rareearthmining

Exotic bacteria species show promise as rare-earth element recyclers - Enlarge / One of the species identified in this work. (credit: Thomas B... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=1920400 #rareearthelements #microorganisms #bioabsorbtion #science #e-waste #mining

Ars Technica: Exotic bacteria species show promise as rare-earth element recyclers https://arstechnica.com/?p=1920400 #Tech #arstechnica #IT #Technology #rareearthelements #microorganisms #bioabsorbtion #Science #e-waste #mining

Referenced link: https://phys.org/news/2023-02-dozen-exotic-bacteria-passively-rare.html
Discuss on https://discu.eu/q/https://phys.org/news/2023-02-dozen-exotic-bacteria-passively-rare.html

Originally posted by Phys.org / @physorg_com: http://nitter.platypush.tech/physorg_com/status/1630435129918124032#m

A dozen exotic bacteria are found to passively collect #rareearthelements from #wastewater @frontiersin https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1130939/full https://phys.org/news/2023-02-dozen-exotic-bacteria-passively-rare.html

ClimateDenialCrock: "More than enough minerals for Energy Transition" The world has enough rare earth minerals + other critical raw materials to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. 'Rare earths' actually not that rare, the U.S. Geological Survey calling them "relatively abundant." They are essential for the strong magnets needed for wind turbines, + also present in smartphones, computer displays + LED light bulbs. Much more mining is needed, but there are enough minerals to go around. “Decarbonization is going to be big and messy, but at the same time we can do it,” said study co-author Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the tech company Stripe and Berkeley Earth. Example, 'dysprosium is a mineral used for magnets in wind turbines and a big push for cleaner electricity would require three times as much dysprosium as currently produced,' but identified reserves are more than 12 times what is needed. "Annual production of neodymium (Nd), dysprosium (Dy), tellurium (Te), fiberglass, and solar-grade polysilicon may need to grow considerably." One concern is whether mining will add more CO2 to the atmosphere, potentially as much as 10 gigatons, equivalent to about 1/4 of current emissions. But that would be vastly more offset by sharply diminishing extraction of fossil fuels + their release of carbon during combustion. And the photo? That's refined tellurium. Time to get on board. #rareearthelements #renewableenergy

It rather depends on where and who controls the sources and access to them. If they are in North America, Europe or Australasia, great. If they are in places that China, Russia and others can control, not so great. #RareEarthElements #REE #CriticalRawMaterials #GreenTech #EnergyTransition #geopolitics #competition #conflict #security #energy #climate https://apnews.com/article/science-green-technology-climate-and-environment-renewable-energy-141761657a8e7a5627a0e49e601dd48e

Here is a recent #ScienceNews article on the #RareEarth mine in #California. My two cents are about how the #industry can become more #sustainable. Incremental fixes make a big difference in industrial operations, but for the kind of change we need in light of the #climate emergency, more robust policy mandates and subsidies are needed.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rare-earth-mining-renewable-energy-future

#rareearthelements #renewable #energy transition #geography

Here is a recent #DeutcheWelle #business article I contributed to on the recent #RareEarth deposit announced in #sweden

https://www.dw.com/en/explainer-what-the-rare-earths-find-in-sweden-might-mean-for-the-eu/a-64375644

#rareearthelements #CriticalRawMaterials #climate #energy #mining

"A major blind spot created by the urgency to mine for climate is the fact that, in addition to the share of the #RareEarth market soaked up by the petroleum industry, military applications are another major consumer. The U.S. military alone emits more greenhouse gases than many industrialized nations. It has also been a major catalyst in #reshoring and #nearshoring rare earth production in the United States."

#RareEarthElements #Mining #RareEarthMining

#BostonReview

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/our-sustainable-future-starts-in-the-mine/

Huge rare earth metals discovery in Arctic Sweden (BBC) #CriticalRawMaterials #REE #RareEarthElements #EnergyTransition https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64253708

#Sweden finds Europe's largest deposit of rare earth metals, which could become 'more important than oil and gas' (CNBC) #CriticalRawMaterials #REE #RareEarthElements #EnergyTransition #EV #EU #geopolitics #conflict #security https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/13/sweden-mining-company-lkap-finds-big-deposit-of-rare-earth-metals.html

Could Africa replace China as the world’s source of rare earth elements? (Brookings) #RareEarthElements #REE #CriticalRawMaterials #geopolitics #security #conflict #EnergyTransition

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2022/12/29/could-africa-replace-china-as-the-worlds-source-of-rare-earth-elements/

Referenced link: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-electrokinetic-technology-recovering-rare-earth.html
Discuss on https://discu.eu/q/https://phys.org/news/2022-11-electrokinetic-technology-recovering-rare-earth.html

Originally posted by Phys.org / @physorg_com@twitter.com: https://twitter.com/physorg_com/status/1593250699844128774#m

Electrokinetic mining technology for recovering #rareearthelements from weathering crusts @naturesustai https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-00989-3 https://phys.org/news/2022-11-electrokinetic-technology-recovering-rare-earth.html

Toxic cleanup technique can get more rare earth metals out of ores - Enlarge / About half of the world's rare earth element supply comes fro... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=1894734 #rareearthelements #materialsscience #metallurgy #science #mining

RT @EUinmyRegion: How can we recover #RareEarthElements?

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🐦🔗: https://nitter.eu/EUinmyRegion/status/1578649844385579010