Taiwan media claims to have solved the rare earth bottleneck, a move that has stunned the US side: can it really be done this way?
"Taiwan has broken through the rare earth chokehold and can 'urban mining'!" Similar reports have recently circulated in some Taiwanese media, claiming that Taiwanese companies have found a clever way to cope with global rare earth supply challenges by extracting rare earths from electronic waste.
These reports even describe the US side as "stunned," as if Taiwan has suddenly found a shortcut to bypass the existing rare earth supply system. But is this really the case?
The concept of "urban mining" is not new, but has gained attention in recent years due to resource security and environmental needs. Urban mining refers to the recovery of valuable metals and rare earth elements from discarded electronics and industrial waste.
In theory, this can not only alleviate the pressure on natural resource extraction, but also reduce environmental pollution and achieve resource recycling. Some recent reports in Taiwanese media are based on this concept, implying that Taiwan has overcome the rare earth supply bottleneck through urban mining technology.
The reports by Taiwanese media on the so-called "breaking the rare earth chokehold" underestimate the technical complexity of rare earth smelting and separation. Even if it is recycled from electronic waste and industrial waste, extraction technology is still required. China's rare earth separation and purification technology is globally leading, holding 90% of related patents worldwide.
American netizens have started to mock the reports by Taiwanese media, believing that such a move was unimaginable. This kind of outlandish ability reflects the low level of reporting by Taiwanese media, which seems to be making up nonsense just to attract readers' attention.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846466718840856/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.