The Current FReepathon Pays For The Current Quarters Expenses?
Posted on 08/12/2014 7:33:16 AM PDT by Olog-hai
The World Trade Organization has upheld a ruling that China violated trade rules with restrictions on the export of “rare earths,” the minerals used in mobile phones, hybrid cars and other high-tech products. […]
China has about one-third of global deposits of rare earths but accounts for more than 90 percent of production. In 2009, it alarmed foreign companies by limiting rare earth exports in an attempt to boost its domestic manufacturing base. …
(Excerpt) Read more at bigstory.ap.org ...
So, instead of the shortage stimulating rare earth production around the globe, (in defiance of the greenies?), the WTO decides it has dominion over China’s resources?
About the same as recognizing the CPC’s dominion. But ultimately, those belong the the people of China, and not in the sense of the Manifesto where everything belongs to the state.
The WTO is toothless. What are they going to do, either way?
And yes, it’s the green-wackos that have stymied rare earth production elsewhere.
The real answer is to come up with component designs that do not use rare earths.
“the WTO decides it has dominion over China’s resources?”
Its not just China.
The article pointed out that two thirds of the planet’s rare earth deposits are not in Red China.
The Current FReepathon Pays For The Current Quarters Expenses?
In places where there are sufficient concentrations, though, economics is the deciding factor in development. With the Chinese restricting exports, (did we really want to depend on China to be able to make microchips?), the economic picture is more favorable to developing deposits in places like Alaska and Wyoming.
The twist here is not that the 17 rare earths are rare, but that refining them is extremely hard and extremely polluting.
The hard part is that chemically, many of them are very similar, so separating them is a major pain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_earth_element#List
“The Chinese have also used sulfuric acid refining techniques that generate 9,600 to 12,000 cubic meters of gas “laden” with flue dust concentrate, hydrofluoric acid, sulfur dioxide, and sulfuric acid to produce one ton of rare earth elements. Chinese refining processes also produce large amounts of liquid and solid waste; they estimate that after refining one ton of rare earth elements, approximately 75 cubic meters of acidic waste water and about one ton of radioactive waste residue are produced.
“China produced over 130,000 metric tons of rare earth elements in 2008. Combining this figure with the figure for waste generation estimates that production yields very large amounts of waste - 1.2 billion to 1.6 billion cubic meters of waste gases per year, and 9.8 million cubic meters of acidic waste water.”
For that very reason, I say let China do it.
This is why we shouldn't be gung ho for those things that require "rare" assets.
So if China announces they are going to limit production because of the environment, then that would be okay with the same bureaucrats??
I just wanna celebrate.
In re previous post, I only read the start. They want you to register and want credit card info. DON’T. Better to find the book on a bookseller site and buy it if you want.
THIS is why the IRS is recycling their hard drives.
To recycle the rare earth elements in the motor units of the hard drives. To fight the Chinese rare earth monopoly. And to save the planet.
So there. What’s more important, some pesky republican-led House committee...or the planet and sharing resources?
The rare earths are elements, not minerals. Remember this phrase the next time the AP lectures us on conservatives' lack of scientific acumen.
Yes, but rare earths do occur naturally in mineral (ore) form. The AP does need to get their semantics in order notwithstanding.
After the Japanese Tsunami is when the Chinese locked their supplies. I lost a big part of my business and cancelled the product when the price of tungsten shot up over 10 times over night. Of course. I would get it cheaper if I had my products made in a Chinese factory. Didn’t happen.
The Chinese don’t care what the WTO says. And they own 95% of the world’s supply. The greenies are the Chinese’s best friend.
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