Marketplace Tech Can the U.S. get around China's restrictions on rare earth minerals?
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Apr 16, 2025 Tensions are rising as China imposes export restrictions on rare earth minerals, crucial for tech and defense industries. Experts suggest the U.S. has potential alternatives, but these options require significant time and investment. The discussion includes the exploration of recovering minerals from bauxite waste and the challenges of deep-sea mining. There's also a look at the legislative and environmental hurdles in ramping up U.S. production, making the pursuit of a self-sufficient supply chain a complex and multifaceted issue.
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China Controls Rare Earth Processing
- Most rare earth mineral processing is done in China, even when the raw minerals come from the U.S. or elsewhere.
- U.S. has some emerging processing capabilities but heavily depends on China for finished rare earth metals.
Scandium from Bauxite Waste
- Scandium, a rare earth element, can be recovered from bauxite waste called red mud.
- Penn State students are successfully researching how to extract scandium from U.S. bauxite waste materials.
Speeding Up Tech Demonstrations
- Accelerate demonstration of new rare earth recovery technologies to build domestic supply chains.
- Government support and expedited permits can help these technologies reach commercial scale faster.