TOKYO, Japan, March 15, 2013 (ENS) – Honda has established the world’s first process to reuse rare earth metals extracted from nickel-metal hydride batteries to make new batteries for hybrid vehicles.

To make the most of these scarce resources, since April 2012 Honda has been extracting an oxide containing rare earth metals from used nickel-metal hydride batteries at a plant belonging to ferroalloy manufacturer Japan Metals and Chemicals Co.

Now, by applying molten salt electrolysis to this oxide, Honda has succeeded in extracting metallized rare earths that can be used directly as negative-electrode materials in new nickel-metal hydride batteries.

The rare earth metals extracted in this process have a purity of more than 99 percent which is as high as that of ordinary traded, newly mined rare earth metals.In addition, the new process enables the extraction of as much as 80 percent of rare earth metals contained in a nickel-metal hydride battery.

Under the newly established process, this month Japan Metals and Chemicals will supply the extracted rare earth metals to a battery manufacturer, which will reuse them as negative electrode materials for new nickel-metal hydride batteries.

This first batch of rare earth metals was extracted from nickel-metal hydride batteries collected from 386 Honda hybrid vehicles that were stored before shipment to dealers but were damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.

As soon as a sufficient volume is secured, Honda will begin recycling rare earth metals extracted from used nickel-metal hydride batteries collected by Honda dealers through battery replacement.

Honda dealerships will collect the batteries and the Japan Metals and Chemicals plant will dismantle them to extract rare earths. Honda will then use the extracted material in new hybrid vehicles.

Honda says it will extract rare earth metals not only from nickel-metal hydride batteries but also from other used parts such as hybrid motors and lithium-ion batteries. In addition to batteries, rare earth metals such as neodymium are used in magnets for a wide range of parts from audio speakers to electric starters.

Rare earths is a generic term for 17 elements that enhance heat resistance or increase magnetic forces when mixed with metals. They are indispensable in the production of vehicles, where they are used in motors and magnets.

China accounts for more than 90 percent of the global output of rare earth elements and is the main supplier for Japan. But China imposed sudden restrictions on exports in 2010 and 2011, cutting quantities sent to Japan and then the United States and other Western trading partners, claiming the cutbacks were due to environmental degradation around mining sites.

Japan and other governments are taking action to loosen China’s restrictive export rules. In June 2012, Japan, the United States, the European Union and other countries filed a complaint against China with the World Trade Organization over the rare earth export regulations.

Regardless of how that trade dispute is resolved, Honda said in a statement that the company “will remain committed to reducing the environmental footprint of the mobility society as a whole by developing fuel-efficient vehicles including hybrid vehicles, and also by strengthening networks which lead to the reuse and recycling of Honda products.”

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Yttria saw a 25.5 percent decline this week on our MetalMiner IndX℠, making it the week’s biggest mover on the weekly Rare Earths MMI®.

Samarium oxide weakened by 9.5 percent. Lanthanum oxide finished the week after falling 6.8 percent.

Molycorp Suffers

US rare earths producer Molycorp reported a net loss of $450 million last week, and the company does not expect prices to come back up this year, according to an FT article.

The author of the article put it succinctly: “Molycorp’s problems reflect the difficulty of building a business in the volatile markets for minerals such as cerium, lanthanum and neodymium.” The company’s interim CEO, Constantine Karayannopoulos, is quoted as saying, “I really don’t see any major catalysts in the near future for prices to go either way.” The piece continued, “Beijing was trying to tighten environmental regulations on rare earth producers, which would raise prices, he said, ‘but China is a big place.’”

More Rare Earth Price Drops on the IndX℠

Neodymium oxide dropped 5.8 percent over the past week. Europium oxide saw a 3.5 percent drop-off this week. The past week saw europium oxide close after a 3.5 percent decline. Cerium oxide remained essentially flat from the previous week.

Neodymium traded sideways last week, as did praseodymium neodymium oxide, praseodymium oxide and rare earth carbonate.

Following a steady week, prices for terbium metal closed flat. Terbium oxide prices held steady, and the week finished with no movement for yttrium.


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The rare-earth market today dysprosium price broke down, the large the holmium class market price differences difficult trading rare earth market weak trend continues.
   
There is no guarantee as early as a few days ago there Insiders sigh dysprosium price. Still suppliers oxides the tax offer 200 million / ton, but Ningbo rare earth who reflect market has 190 cargo, Ganzhou Rare Earth revealed today, dysprosium oxide a tax has 190 million / ton, but fewer still trading at this price.
   
Differentiated the holmium class market price quotations, price low turnover is still hard to demand market trouble, try to hit the price level - pressure on raw material supply side. There is a larger traders holmium oxide and holmium iron market tax offer of 450,000 yuan / ton. Much lower than the price the merchant business is also no good market hold stocks holmium oxide tax offer 370,000 yuan / ton, inquiries are still very few.

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The Resource Assessment of Rare Earths (RARE) Act of 2013, a bill aimed at securing rare earth supplies and reducing China’s monopoly on the market, has been reintroduced to US Congress by Representative Hank Johnson. The Act directs the US Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a three-year global mineral assessment of rare earth elements (REEs).

“Like President Obama, I am committed to a future powered by clean energy,” said Johnson in a statement. “Without secure access to rare earth elements, we will be unable to lead the world in cleantech. The RARE Act will dramatically advance our ability to access rare earths worldwide.”

He noted that China accounts for 97 percent of global REE production and has demonstrated a willingness to restrict REE exports. He said, “the Chinese monopoly is a strategic vulnerability for the United States that could undermine national security and competitiveness in the defense and clean-energy sectors.”

Representative Edward Markey, a national leader on energy and the environment and ranking member on the House Committee on Natural Resources, is the lead original cosponsor of the bill. Markey has noted that if the US is to keep pace with China and Germany in clean energy technology, access to REEs is crucial.

In a letter to Representative Johnson, Ed Richardson, president of the US Magnetic Materials Association, said the bill is an important piece of a much-needed comprehensive approach to understanding current and future domestic and international supply of and demand for REEs.

Greenland hints EU may miss out

Greenland‘s prime minister has warned the European Union that he may scrap a preliminary deal aimed at safeguarding the bloc’s access to the country’s mineral resources.

“I don’t understand the behavior of the (European) Commission,” said Kuupik Kleist in an interview with Reuters last week. Kleist’s comments suggest Greenland may not be opposed to playing off European and Asian powers enticed by the country’s minerals, according to the news agency.

Questions remain regarding Kleist’s influence, especially following the country’s election earlier this week. Results show that Greenland is poised to get its first ever female prime minister after a centrist party that supports tapping the Arctic island’s vast mineral wealth, which includes uranium, won 42.8 percent of the vote.

Prior to the vote, Kleist had stated that the time for waiting is over and that the European Commission should follow up with action, including a firm deal regarding resources.

He said, “I signed a letter (to the EU) last month (saying) if we were not to take further steps to negotiating a real agreement we would rather put aside the MOU. I have not got any answer on that still.”

“I have been to Brussels many times,” he added. “I don’t have a thorough explanation why the big interest in Greenland and the Arctic area does not play out in really concrete activities from the European side.”

                 

Sumitomo to construct REE recovery plant

Sumitomo Metal Mining Company (TSE:5713) confirmed that it will construct a scandium recovery pilot plant at its majority owned subsidiary, Coral Bay Nickel, which is located on Palawan Island in the Philippines.

Scandium is a REE used in a variety of applications. “Small quantities of scandium are contained in the ore used at [Coral Bay] in the production of nickel-cobalt mixed sulfide applying [Sumitomo's] high-pressure acid leach … technology,” a press release from Sumitomo notes.

“For some time [Sumitomo] has been working to develop a scandium recovery method at its Niihama Research Laboratories in Ehime Prefecture,” the company statement also states. “This effort has now led to the attainment of technology enabling efficient recovery of scandium from the nickel-cobalt mixed sulfide production process.”

The company plans for the scandium oxide pilot plant to be constructed by the end of 2013 and for trial production to commence in 2014. It initially aims to produce 10 kilograms of product per month.

Global production of scandium is estimated at 10 metric tons (MT) per year, with the major producers being the United States, Ukraine, Russia and China.

Market round-up

China’s rare earth prices fell again this week, with little actual business reported in the spot market. Prices for light rare earths such as praseodymium, neodymium, lanthanum and cerium are under heavy downward pressure owing to rising output and weak demand, according to Metal-Pages.

Downstream magnetic materials industries are reportedly sluggish on weak demand. For heavy rare earths, such as europium, terbium and yttrium, prices were largely unchanged last week, with no transactions reported.

China’s praseodymium-neodymium metal market is slow as consumers are choosing to remain on the sidelines. There were very few deals undertaken on the spot market, with 99-percent praseodymium-neodymium metal prices down to $61,115 per MT.

China’s dysprosium oxide market remains under pressure, and market sources claim that it will be difficult for prices to fall further due to high production costs. Current prices for dysprosium oxide 99 percent are stable at $321 per kilogram, while prices for ferrodysprosium are unchanged at $337 per kilogram.

China’s europium oxide market has been stable; however, sources confirmed that prices are likely to fall in the short term as a result of weak demand. Mainstream prices for europium oxide 99 percent are at $804 per kilogram. Current prices for terbium oxide 99 percent are at $627 per kilogram.


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