Page 8 from: January / February 2016

6 January/February 2016

N E W S

Growth envisaged for rare earth
applications and recycling
The rare earth metals market will increase 14% in the period from
2015 to 2019, it has been predicted in a new study from Infiniti
Research. Expansion in the supplier base ‘will drastically change
the supplier landscape and is expected to lead to a softening of
prices going forward’, the analysts contend.

Worldwide demand for rare earths is
projected to increase 3.5 percent per
annum to 149 500 tonnes in 2019,
valued at US$4.5 billion, the study says.
In terms of consumption, China
accounted for around 63% of market
share during 2014 and is expected to
maintain its leadership over the four
years under consideration. ‘The
increased demand for rare earths from
the automotive and electronic indus-
tries in this region is driving the mar-
ket,’ analysts acknowledge.
Recycling of rare earth metals from elec-
tronic wastes is ‘gaining prominence’
and is expected to contribute to the
market growth during the forecast
period. Innovative recycling processes
are being adopted by, notably, Germany,
France and Japan because they have
limited reserves but high consumption.
Among the wide-ranging applications
for rare earths, their increasing uses in
the wind energy sector and NiMH bat-
teries are cited as ‘the prominent ones’.
The technological advances being

made in magnetic resonance imaging
and superconductivity will further drive
the growth of this segment in the com-
ing years, it is added.
Globally, around 250 firms are cur-
rently involved in the exploration and
production of rare earth metals – most
of them in China and to a lesser degree
in the USA, Australia and Canada.

China, which produces 96% of the
world’s rare earth metals, reduced its
second-half rare earth metal export
quota for the minerals by 72% in July
2010, adds WinterGreen Research. That
year, the global rare earth market was
worth US$ 1.4 billion – which it antici-
pates will reach US$ 4.1 billion already
by next year.
The rest of the world was ‘asleep’ as
China grew to become a ‘goliath’ in the
rare earth industry, WinterGreen
Research asserts. ‘Steps to rebuild the
industry outside China could take up to
ten years. In the meantime, China has

a huge lead in educating engineers and
scientists and in all aspects of the rare
earth metal industry,’ says Susan Eustis,
lead author of the firm’s new study.
She stresses that one ‘potential threat’
is that – while China’s reduction in
export quotas is currently causing
prices to go up – if China were to turn
that around and bring prices back
down, this could potentially put these
and other companies out of business
even before they become fully opera-
tional.

www.infinitiresearch.com

www.wintergreenresearch.com

Container recycling ‘poor’ in New Zealand despite grants
‘Millions of dollars worth of govern-
ment grants to boost beverage container
recycling have made little impact on New
Zealand’s poor recycling rates with inhab-
itants wasting enough beverage contain-
ers to fill 700 Boeing 747 jumbo jets each

year,’ according to a new report released
by Envision.
New Zealand records a recycling rate for
containers of between 25% and 40%,
significantly lower than the 85-98% rou-
tinely achieved in Canada, South Aus-

tralia and Western Europe. The InCENTive
to Recycle report recommends the rein-
troduction of a mandatory container
deposit scheme in order to boost rates in
New Zealand.
Lead author Warren Snow says bringing
back a bottle refund or container depos-
it scheme would cost the beverage indus-
try only half a cent per container but
would increase beverage container recy-
cling every year by 45 000 tonnes. This
move would also raise recycling rates to
85%, create up to 2400 new jobs and
divert 180 000 cubic metres of waste
from landfill to save New Zealanders
between NZ$ 26 million and NZ$ 40 mil-

lion per year in waste disposal costs, it
has been calculated.
Since 2008, the New Zealand govern-
ment has given out nearly NZ$ 7 million
in taxpayer-funded grants for initiatives
to recycle beverage containers. ‘But most
of that money has ended up in the hands
of groups representing corporate packag-
ing and beverage industries with a vested
interest to retain the status quo,’ Snow
argues.
According to Envision, the wasted con-
tainers are currently heading to landfill
and every year take up ‘as much space as
an eight-story building’.
www.envision-nz.com