Discovery in Japan to alter global economy, be Game changer
Discovery in Japan to alter global economy, be Game changer
Japanese researchers have found vast reserves of rare-earth elements in deep-sea mud,that can fulfill global requirement.It was detected on a small island in Pacific Ocean,may prove to be a game changer.These deposits are in waters of Japan,are 16 million tonnes of elements & 1.2 million tonnes of “rare-earth oxide”.It is used to build products eg smartphones,radar devices,missile systems & electric vehicles.Yttrium,found in deposits,is used to make camera lenses,mobile phone screens & superconductors.Study team developed efficient & economic way to collect deep-sea mud that separates such elements from others in mud.
As per a new study published in journal Scietific Reports, Japanese researchers have found vast reserves of rare-earth elements in deep-sea mud, capable of fulfilling global requirement. It was detected on a small island in the Pacific Ocean. It may prove to be a game changer.
These deposits, in economic waters of Japan , are about 16 million tonnes of the elements, and estimated 1.2 million tonnes of “rare-earth oxide”. This element is used to build hi-tech products like smartphones, radar devices, missile systems and electric vehicles.
Yttrium, a metal found in the deposits, can be used to produce camera lenses, mobile phone screens and superconductors.
To discover this huge source of rare-earth elements, many universities, government and businesses government institutions constituted the research team in Japan which surveyed its western Pacific Ocean near Minami-Torishima Island, an area about 2,500 sq km. The study team has developed an efficient and economic method to collect the deep-sea mud that separates valuable elements from others in the mud.
The report said there were hundreds of years of reserves of most of the rare-earth elements in the area surveyed. Extracting them would likely be costly, but resource-poor Japan is pushing ahead with research in a bid to gain more control over next-generation technologies and weapon systems.
There is about 95 percent of these rare earth elements in China, but China has completely restricted its export, and Japanese manufacturers suffered huge shortage of this elements, as also the US, Australia And New Zealand.
Ref. : http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/game-changer-discovery-on-tiny-island-could-alter-global-economy/news-story/021697a05680d6d3b14dd3137cd709fa --- Dated: Apr'19,2018.
