“The Morning Briefing” is SmartPlanet’s daily roundup of must-reads from the web. This morning we’re reading about rare earth exports.
1.) Recycling rare-earth metals from magnets. Electronics are often discarded into landfills and the processes that do exist to reclaim materials from them are not always efficient at doing so. Now researchers have found a promising technique for extracting rare-earth metals, like neodymium, from magnets.
2.) ‘Rare earth hibernation’ takes toll on Chinese producers. Business conditions have deteriorated at China’s rare earth companies since Beijing banned exports of the metals to Japan during a snit over the Senkaku Islands two years ago.
3.) China limits rare earth production to support market prices. Rare earths prices have been falling steadily, both in the West and domestically in China.
4.) Lynas warns on rare earth demand amid slowdown. Lynas Corporation Ltd has warned that a number of rare earths-consuming companies are deferring purchases amid continued uncertainty about economic growth.
5.) Rare earths miner Alkane seeks $1 billion bounty. Australia’s Alkane Resources is on the prowl for funds, with a billion-dollar target in its sights.
Image credit: Flickr
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