News that 50 tons of rare-earth-bearing mud had been successfully recovered from the seabed off Minamitorishima became a hot topic on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” (general live-news) board. While some praised the technical feat of hauling material up from 6,000 meters below the seafloor, plenty of others questioned whether it makes financial sense, with comments like “This’ll cost a hundred times more than just buying from China.”
The thread also saw back-and-forth over whether the mud contains radioactive material and where it would even be refined, leaving the discussion pretty split.
Didn't they already give up on this because it wasn't profitable?
It's just election-season theater.
What exactly are they mining here?
>>7
Because their radioactivity is close to certain elements'
rare earths are usually found mixed in with stuff like uranium
which makes separating and refining them difficult
Because their radioactivity is close to certain elements'
rare earths are usually found mixed in with stuff like uranium
which makes separating and refining them difficult
>>20
Normally yeah, but apparently this particular batch barely has any radioactive material in it
Normally yeah, but apparently this particular batch barely has any radioactive material in it
Is this actually gonna turn a profit though?
>>12
Even if it goes well
it'll reportedly end up costing 100 times what they were paying China
Even if it goes well
it'll reportedly end up costing 100 times what they were paying China
>>12
You won't know if it's profitable or not until you actually try it
You won't know if it's profitable or not until you actually try it
>>12
This is mainly about investing in the technology, not really meant to replace existing resource supply chains
This is mainly about investing in the technology, not really meant to replace existing resource supply chains
You can dig up mud in Tokyo Bay too, y'know
>>17
Given today's heavy rain, it's probably mixed with a ton of sewage runoff too
Given today's heavy rain, it's probably mixed with a ton of sewage runoff too
There's no way this pencils out if you're comparing it to Chinese pricing
Breaking free from dependence on China is what actually matters here
Breaking free from dependence on China is what actually matters here
>>26
If it can't compete on price with China, there's no way to break free from them
If it can't compete on price with China, there's no way to break free from them
>>26
How do you keep an unprofitable business running long-term?
You a fan of Japan Display and Cool Japan too? (both government-backed initiatives that lost huge sums of money)
How do you keep an unprofitable business running long-term?
You a fan of Japan Display and Cool Japan too? (both government-backed initiatives that lost huge sums of money)
Apparently just pulling 50 tons up from 6,000 meters underground is a huge achievement in itself, regardless of the rare-earth angle
>>31
Yeah but that ignores the cost-effectiveness
Yeah but that ignores the cost-effectiveness
Nice, with 50 tons we won't need to import anymore, right?
>>38
That 50 tons is just the raw mud
The real question is how much usable rare earth you actually get once you extract it from that
That 50 tons is just the raw mud
The real question is how much usable rare earth you actually get once you extract it from that
A refining plant on Minamitorishima?? lmaooo
wait, hold on lol
wait, hold on lol
>>48
That's way too short-sighted, lol
That's way too short-sighted, lol
Even routing through the Ogasawara Islands, it's still really far
Don't you have to strip out radioactive material from rare earths or something?
And where are they even going to refine/smelt it in a Japan that's allergic to anything nuclear-related?
And where are they even going to refine/smelt it in a Japan that's allergic to anything nuclear-related?
>>62
Apparently stuff pulled from the seabed has very little radioactive material in it
Apparently stuff pulled from the seabed has very little radioactive material in it
54% is insane
Is the concentration really that high?
I figured it'd be like a few grams per ton
Is the concentration really that high?
I figured it'd be like a few grams per ton
>>67
It's not 54% of the full 50 tons
Out of however many grams of rare earth they actually extracted from the 50 tons of mud, 54% of that is medium-to-heavy rare earths
It's not 54% of the full 50 tons
Out of however many grams of rare earth they actually extracted from the 50 tons of mud, 54% of that is medium-to-heavy rare earths
But doesn't mining and refining rare earths cause insane amounts of environmental damage?
China's winning big because they just don't care about that
China's winning big because they just don't care about that
>>68
Japan's rare-earth process already solved that problem a while back
Japan's rare-earth process already solved that problem a while back
>>68
Ocean-mined rare earths have way less radioactive material than land-mined ones, so that issue's basically a non-issue… probably
Ocean-mined rare earths have way less radioactive material than land-mined ones, so that issue's basically a non-issue… probably
People who keep going on about 'profitability, profitability' — do they even think about how national welfare or the justice system are funded?
Plenty of things get done because they're necessary, profit or no profit
Plenty of things get done because they're necessary, profit or no profit
>>90
If they can use crazy-expensive rare earths to make industrial products and still win on price, sure, why not
If they can use crazy-expensive rare earths to make industrial products and still win on price, sure, why not
>>90
This is exactly the kind of field where profitability isn't optional
This is exactly the kind of field where profitability isn't optional
So where are they actually going to refine this stuff?
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Good News] 50 Tons of Rare-Earth Mud Successfully Recovered Off Minamitorishima.”
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