Toward Closing a Loophole: Recovering Rare Earth Elements from Uranium Metallurgical Process Tailings

Vaughan, James; Tungpalan, Kate; Parbhakar-Fox, Anita; Fu, Weng; Gagen, Emma J.; Nkrumah, Philip Nti; Southam, Gordon; Ent, Antony van der; Erskine, Peter D.; Gow, Paul; Valenta, Rick

doi:10.1007/s11837-020-04451-7

“…Release of rare earth elements into the wider environment can be problematic, and some of the exposed population are quite vulnerable [40]. Only 1% of rare earth elements is currently recycled [41]: by implication this means that 99% of new rare earth elements (for whatever purpose) requires further mining of raw material with the attendant problems associated with this. Extraction of rare earth elements also results in the release of associated metals which are not currently required commercially.…”

Section: New Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The make-up of the gangue will be dependent upon the rock being extracted. Vaughan et al advocate the secondary mining of the gangue for rare earth elements, rather than extracting further ore [41].…”

Section: New Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unnatural Cycles: Anthropogenic Disruption To Health And Planetary Functions

Gibson¹,

Stewart²

2022

Preprint

0

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Natural cycles underpin the very stuff of life. In this commentary we consider unnatural cycles: that is, anthropogenic activities which have a circularity, but whose nature is to have a detrimental effect on human health, exacerbating existing problems. Natural cycles have feedback loops, some of which have recently come to light, with an understanding that everything is connected in some way. In health, feedback loops are imperative in homeostatic mechanisms. However, in the unnatural cycle the feedback loops serve to reinforce (and in some cases amplify) negative problems. We offer a commentary on an unnatural cycle moving from air quality to lung function and back to air quality; we call this the lung disease unnatural cycle. We suggest where links occur, and where wider consideration of interactions between various disciplines can lead to breaking this unnatural (or vicious) cycle, changing it to a healthy cycle where individual health can be improved, along with better global scale outcomes. We suggest that many activities within this unnatural cycle occur within silos. However, the improved cycle incorporates joint activities at geological, health, and financial levels, to the mutual benefit of all, breaking the unnatural cycle, and improving health, life and financial costs.

show abstract

“…Release of rare earth elements into the wider environment can be problematic, and some of the exposed population are quite vulnerable [43]. Only 1% of rare earth elements is currently recycled [44]: by implication this means that 99% of new rare earth elements (for whatever purpose) requires further mining of raw material with the attendant problems associated with this. Extraction of rare earth elements also results in the release of associated metals which are not currently required commercially.…”

Section: New Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unnatural Cycles: Anthropogenic Disruption To Health And Planetary Functions

Gibson¹,

Stewart²

2022

Preprint

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Natural cycles underpin the very stuff of life. In this commentary we consider unnatural cycles: that is, anthropogenic activities which have a circularity, but whose nature is to have a detrimental effect on human health, exacerbating existing problems. Natural cycles have feedback loops, some of which have recently come to light, with an understanding that everything is connected in some way. In health, feedback loops are imperative in homeostatic mechanisms. However, in the unnatural cycle the feedback loops serve to reinforce (and in some cases amplify) negative problems. We offer a commentary on an unnatural cycle moving from air quality to lung function and back to air quality; we call this the lung disease unnatural cycle. We suggest where links occur, and where wider consideration of interactions between various disciplines can lead to breaking this unnatural (or vicious) cycle, changing it to a healthy cycle where individual health can be improved, along with better global scale outcomes. We suggest that many activities within this unnatural cycle occur within silos. However, the improved cycle incorporates joint activities at geological, health, and financial levels, to the mutual benefit of all, breaking the unnatural cycle, and improving health, life and financial costs.

show abstract

“…Release of rare earth elements into the wider environment can be problematic, and some of the exposed populations are quite vulnerable [43]. Only 1% of rare earth elements is currently recycled [44]: by implication this means that 99% of new rare earth elements (for whatever purpose) requires further mining of raw material with the attendant problems associated with this. Extraction of rare earth elements also results in the release of associated metals which are not currently required commercially.…”

Section: New Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The make-up of the gangue will be dependent upon the rock being extracted. Vaughan et al advocate the secondary mining of the gangue for rare earth elements, rather than extracting further ore [44].…”

Section: New Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unnatural Cycles: Anthropogenic Disruption to Health and Planetary Functions

Gibson¹,

Stewart

²

2022

Geosciences

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Natural cycles underpin the very stuff of life. In this commentary we consider unnatural cycles: that is, anthropogenic activities which have a circularity, but whose nature is to have a detrimental effect on human health, exacerbating existing problems. Natural cycles have feedback loops, some of which have recently come to light, with an understanding that everything is connected in some way. In health, feedback loops are imperative in homeostatic mechanisms. However, in the unnatural cycle the feedback loops serve to reinforce (and in some cases amplify) negative problems. We offer a commentary on an unnatural cycle moving from air quality to lung function and back to air quality; we call this the lung disease unnatural cycle. We suggest where links occur, and where wider consideration of interactions between various disciplines can lead to breaking this unnatural (or vicious) cycle, changing it to a healthy cycle where individual health can be improved, along with better global scale outcomes. We suggest that many activities within this unnatural cycle occur within silos. However, the improved cycle incorporates joint activities at geological, health, and financial levels, to the mutual benefit of all, breaking the unnatural cycle and improving health, life, and financial costs.

show abstract

Toward Closing a Loophole: Recovering Rare Earth Elements from Uranium Metallurgical Process Tailings

Cited by 20 publications

References 75 publications

Unnatural Cycles: Anthropogenic Disruption To Health And Planetary Functions

Unnatural Cycles: Anthropogenic Disruption To Health And Planetary Functions

Unnatural Cycles: Anthropogenic Disruption To Health And Planetary Functions

Unnatural Cycles: Anthropogenic Disruption to Health and Planetary Functions

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