Posts Tagged ‘Rare heavy dirt’
Earth Day? Doing what in those celebrations? What are your priorities?
April 22 is back again. This Sunday will be observed by over 1 billion people to participate in Earth Day activities. Is it the largest civic observance in the world according to Earth Day Network?
Where would you like to start from? I have the impression that my list will have no end to it, enumerating the ailments that mother earth is suffering from, particularly, how mankind is coping in this desolate landscape and reduced imagination and pragmatic resolutions to world problems.
Never mind how the animal species are fairing:
If mankind maintained intact the environment of the animal kingdom, animals are well adapted than us to survive and thrive…
What could be your priority of promoting in Earth Day?
1. Working toward clean and fresh potable water?
2. Demonstrating and struggling for dear clean and healthy air?
3. Confronting nuclear waste disposal systems, chemical waste, toxic rare dirt exploitation…? (See note 3)
4. Cleaning beaches from frequent and abundant oil spills?
5. Stopping massive deforestation for the agro-industries that mankind never get a share in it?
Five years ago, my niece Joanna and future husband Yuhanna donned white overhaul to clean up the beaches in Lebanon that were polluted by oil spills generated by the bombing of Israel to our refineries by the coast in 2006. Why the overhaul had to be white? Is it supposed to be a once wear before being discarded, so that thousands of workers in the garment industry in China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Viet Nam, and India faint en mass? (See note 2)
The UN demanded from Israel reparations, but Israel considers all UN resolutions as not of its concerns. The US didn’t exert any pressures on Israel, as usual. And the pseudo-State in Lebanon is not following up on this issue…
During our long civil war, Italy and other European States dumped hundreds of containers containing toxic materials and paid the militia leader “overseeing” the Jubail district. The government knows the location, but refuses to touch and approach the matter.
Two years ago, the government bought two jets for “sprinkling” man-made “wild fires”. The machines are not functional: Well, they were not been put to any use yet. Wild fires are politically supported to manufacture charcoal in the cheapest way.
There are many politically backed families that operate illegal carries. One family saw its business stopped by one government. The next government awarded $400 million for damages and permitted the family to resume operations. Go figure. Shall I go on?
Erica, a staff at wordpress.com disseminated the links to 8 blogs that deal with Earth Day:
Birdlightwind.com
70degreeswest-explore.com
Leahyetter.WordPress.com
Drawandshoot.me
Beingmark.com
Beetlesinthebush.WordPress.com
Theblondecoyote.com
Lookingatthewest.com
I haven’t checked any of these blogs yet. I have no idea when I’ll start finding the credible and valued blogs. Would you forward other links from outside the US, even written in French or Arabic?
How do you celebrate Earth Day? Picnic for the Planet, or plant a tree?
Note 1: You may check the collection of Recommended Blogs, and add topics like Nature and Earth Day to follow in your Reader?
Note 3: https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/rare-heavy-dirt-premium-dirt/
Rare heavy dirt? Premium dirt?
Posted on: January 22, 2010
Rare heavy dirt? Premium dirt? (Jan. 26, 2010)
You think you heard it all! Advanced technologies such as mobile phones, flat screens, magnet, batteries, light bulbs, missiles, night vision masks, and telemetry equipment rely on heavy dirt natural chemical elements.
There are 17 kinds of heavy dirt or chemical elements. If you are interested in these natural chemicals, would you fetch me their names, where they are situated in the expanded Mendeleev table, and how they are used? You may skip the prices: I am not in the market for dirt.
What I know are the following:
Dysprosium, in small quantities, can lighten magnet by 90%. Heavy magnets of 5 tons are used on top of wind turbines (Aeolians). The Danish manufacturer Vestas is the number one in that market; followed by the Chinese Goldwind. One kilo of Dysprosium sells for $110 on the world market and increasing by the month.
Terbium can reduce by 80% the consumption of electric bulbs and are used in top of the line batteries for electric cars. One kilo of terbium sells for $400 on world market and going strong.
China is practically the sole exploiter of heavy dirt; it produces 120, 000 tons per year. World’s reserve of heavy dirt is estimated at 22 million tons.
Over 50% of heavy dirt export from China is done illegally. The mafia mix “clean” heavy dirt with steel; a simple process retrieve the dirt.
In the 80’s, the USA exported 50% of world production of heavy dirt. Currently, Congress is in arms: Congress wants to figure out substitutes for heavy dirt. Apparently, China cannot be submitted to colonial tactics of exploitations.
Most of the production is generated from 200 mines in North of Guangdong (Bayan Obo by Baotou). One mine was operated for only 3 years. Ten years later, nothing grew in lands downstream. It seems that nuclear contamination is far friendlier to nature than extraction of heavy dirt. Dirt is removed and then stored in ditches; then highly concentrate acids are dowsed on the dirt to retrieve the rare heavy and light dirt elements.
Heavy dirt is an economic sector valued at $1.3 billion a year.
OSRAM, the manufacturer of new generation light bulbs and part of the German Siemens multinational, is considering diminishing its reliance on heavy dirt.
I presume that by the end of this decades China would have accumulated most of the rare minerals and become the major Nation for rare mineral reserves, clean and processed: no dirt please! Only heavy or light premium dirt allowed in.
If not for China, copper would be dirt cheap on the world market. China is hoarding copper and copper prices soared. What China is planning to hoard next? China has accumulated most of the money and its economy is growing at 10% a year; it can buy whatever it wishes or wants.
Adonis Diaries 