At a depth of 6 kilometers.. Japan begins extracting rare earth minerals
In the year 2024, Japan will start extracting rare earth minerals of great importance in many industries such as electric and hybrid cars, from the depths of the sea, in an area off the coast of Minami Torishima atoll, in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,900 kilometers southeast of Tokyo, which is the step Which aims to reduce Japan's dependence on China to provide its needs for rare earth minerals, according to a report published by the "Nikkei Asia" website, today, Saturday.
The report indicated that Tokyo plans to start working on developing the technology for extracting these minerals, starting next year 2023, as mud rich in rare earth minerals was found on the seabed, at a depth of 6 kilometers, off the coast of Minami Torishima atoll, and Japan needs to develop The technology of extracting these minerals from great depths ranging between 5-6 kilometers.
Experts say that there are major technological obstacles to any attempt to extract resources from deep-sea sites, especially since the targeted area is located within the Japan Sea Current, which is known to be among the fastest sea currents in the world, and it is also a hurricane area, which increases the difficulty of extracting those minerals. .
The Japanese Parliament has approved the allocation of 6 billion yen, equivalent to $44 million, for the project to extract rare earth minerals, and the money will be spent on developing extraction pumps and manufacturing pipes with a length of 6 km, for use in experimental extraction operations.
The search and extraction process will take place in the Minami Torishima area, as part of the program to promote strategic innovation across Japanese ministries of the Cabinet Office. Japanese researchers succeeded in pumping sediments from the seabed at a depth of 2470 meters in the period from August to September.
Japan currently relies on importing its needs of rare earth minerals (17 rare metals), as it imports 60% of them from China. Imports from China include neodymium, which is used in wind power generation, and dysprosium, which is used in electric car engines.
Japan's new national security strategy, announced last Friday, includes that Japan will "reduce excessive dependence on certain countries, continue to develop next-generation semiconductors and manufacturing bases, and secure stable supplies of vital commodities, including rare earth elements."
Source : websites