Japanese firm begins ‘rare earth’ mining in Jamaica

Nippon Light Metals has broken ground on its red mud pilot plant on the grounds of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) in Hope Gardens, St. Andrew.

For the next three months the Japanese aluminium firm will be extracting rare earth elements from Jamaica’s red mud as the focus of its US$3 million pilot project, which Jamaican officials are hoping will earn the country far more in export potential than its current aluminium exports.

Rare earth elements or lanthanides are extremely valuable elements which require advanced technology for their extractions and include elements, such scandium cerium and dysprosium. Several industries, particularly the electronic and ICT sectors, are dependent on the supply and availability of rare earth elements as they are key components of computers; Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) and Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors; hybrid automobiles; wind power turbines; magnets in television sets; energy efficient light bulbs; sensors; GPS technologies; CD and DVD drives; digital cameras; most optic lenses; communication devices, as well as satellites. At the ground breaking ceremony on Monday (February 4), Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said the red mud project provided Jamaica with an opportunity to significantly boost its export earnings, adding that the project, if proven economically viable, could act as a magnet to pull many investors to Jamaica’s shores, and in this vein, the country could become a major hub for exports to the Americas and other areas of the world.

“This project represents the kind of industrial diversification that this country needs, if it is to realise its economic potential and improve the living standards of the people,” the Prime Minister stated.

Extraction will be conducted by the JBI, in partnership with Nippon Light Metal. Scientists from the University of the West Indies (UWI), the University of Technology (UTech) and Northern Caribbean University (NCU) will also participate in the process.

Executive Director of the JBI, Parris A Lyew-Ayee said the project represents a new phase in the country’s long standing efforts to maximise the exportation and diversification of one of the country’s most valuable resources - bauxite.

Lyew-Ayee said over the past year, the institute has sampled, analysed and characterised the red mud in various locations “and we are very satisfied with the results”.

“On a laboratory bench scale, we have been able to extract the gross rare earth oxides from the red mud. Now we need to move on to the next step on a plant scale, to ensure the commercial viability of this process,” he said.