Rare Earths in our Bauxite

The North American Geological Survey informed the Dominican government a few months ago that the bauxite found in Pedernales contains rare earth elements, namely scandium, yttrium and fifteen other mineral elements, which are now proven to be of strategic importance and whose greatest value is produced in China, but also in some South American countries. These rare earth elements are used in the manufacture of mobile phones, plasma screens, wind turbines and satellites, among other high-tech products.

All bauxites contain some of the elements that make up the rare earths, but the proportions vary depending on the characteristics of the deposit.

In certain areas of our government, people believed that this news could save us from many of our economic problems. But the North American organization did a disservice to Dominicans by not informing them that no country in the world has found a way to economically extract rare earths from bauxite. Jamaica is the country that has tried the most.

Rare earth only and They can extract bauxite in an intermediate stage and convert it into alumina (aluminium oxide) before the final stage of producing aluminium. During the production of alumina, a slag is produced, known as “red mud”, which is deposited in areas that look like lagoons. Jamaica has had several alumina plants over the years, but if you read the main Jamaican newspaper The Daily Gleaner from February 4, 2013, more than a decade ago, you will know that the Jamaican government hired the Japanese company Nippon Light Metal to see if it would be commercially viable to extract rare earths from the “red mud” produced by alumina production. Rare earths are present in all bauxite production, whether it is in Pedernales or in Jamaica, but the question is how to extract them commercially.

In Jamaica, 30 tons of “red mud” were used and acid was applied to it to test whether some of the 17 typical rare earth elements could be extracted. The Japanese company invested $3 million in the pilot project, but it failed, and two years later, the Jamaican Geophysical Company tried to do the same, but the results were also negative.

It has long been known that bauxite contains rare earths, but so far neither Jamaica nor anywhere else has found a way to commercially separate them from red mud. Four years ago, Dada Holdings announced a partnership with Canadian company Enerwoxa to try to extract rare earths from red mud at an alumina refinery in Gramercy, Louisiana. It also failed. Russian and Chinese companies have tried to remove them from stockpiles of red mud in Jamaica, but also failed.

We get all this information from the main Jamaican newspapers, but perhaps it is important that our government, especially President Abinader, ask the Jamaican Prime Minister to send us his best expert on rare earths, bauxite and alumina, perhaps the Director of the Jamaican Bauxite Institute. In the meantime, we should not expect to find new ways to mine the remaining bauxite in the country, convert it to alumina and extract rare earths. We must not repeat the mistakes of President Antonio Guzman, who falsely claimed that there was oil in Chaco Lago when there was none. On the other hand, if one day it becomes economical to export bauxite because of its rare earth content, another pier must be used for tourists, because the bauxite in the wind will make tourists “red” when they disembark and embark.