Costs Associated with Refining, Processing, and Quality Control Inspection of Rare Earth Materials

3 Costs Associated with Refinings Processings and Quality Control Inspection of Rare Earth Materi s 

Deployment of rare earth materials offers several advantages, which are not available with other materials, such as aluminum, copper, and iron. But the conventional materials do not offer other benefits. Difficulties in mining, processing, and refining of REMs and their outstanding benefits can be summarized as follows [9]  

China controls 97% of the world s supply of these materials, and there is no supply chain for these materials. Under these circumstances, the costs of these materials are expected to remain high in the near future. Most of the mines are located in southern Tibet, which has been illegally occupied by the Chinese military since 1955. 

The supply squeeze continues to limit the export of REMs and is a violation of the World Trade Organization s regulations. 

Geological Survey has identified deposits of REMs in Mountain Pass and Music Valley, both located in Southern California. Both mining facilities will take a couple of years to develop before they can produce the REMs capable of meeting the country s needs. 

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