LONDON - The EU will struggle to meet ambitious goals for rare earths in new legislation designed to boost domestic output of critical minerals and reduce dependence on China.
Below are the complex steps that rare earths must take to end up as magnets used in electric vehicles and wind turbines -- the two main areas driving demand in coming years.Ore is first extracted from an open pit or underground mine, crushed and moved to a plant, usually near to the mine site. Separation can be accomplished using ion-exchange technology. It can also be done using solvents such as ammonia, hydrochloric acids and sulphates, although some such chemicals produce toxic wastes that can cause cancer.Separated rare earth oxides are then transformed into rare earth metals by electrolysis.
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