Builder of Rare Earth Plant in Malaysia Counters Complaints
KUANTAN, MALAYSIA — The Australian company building a rare earth refinery in Malaysia sought to counter critics who are concerned that the plant could pose radioactive hazards, laying out detailed responses on Thursday that it said refuted the many “false allegations” made about the plant.
The plant, which has been plagued by delays and protests by residents worried about possible health and environmental risks, is designed to help break China’s stranglehold on the production of rare earths. Another project is under construction in the California desert near Death Valley.
China mines and processes more than 90 percent of the world’s current supply of rare earths, minerals that are used for a wide range of high-technology products, including smartphones, smart bombs and electric cars. They are found in nature with radioactive contaminants that must be separated and disposed of during refining.
Lynas says its ore, mined in the Australian desert, has a lower concentration of these contaminants than many rare earth deposits elsewhere.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/business/global/builder-of-rare-earth-plant-in-malaysia-counters-complaints.html?_r=1
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