Researchers are rummaging for newfound alternatives to commonly used rare earth metals found in everything from solar panels, wind turbines, and car batteries. The metals are rapidly decreasing in quantity. Thus, resulting in researchers aiming to develop effective recycling methods to supply the rapid growing demand for the metals, before they further hinder the growth of renewable energy technologies. To enhance the energy saving capabilities of technology, expensive and rare earth metals are required. The ongoing issue of the rare metal shortage sprouted from a trade halt in China. Thus, the Critical Materials Institute, directed by Alex King, was established to enhance supply chains, and develop alternative materials that are free from the use of critical elements that are difficult to obtain. One solution for metals that are expected to decrease in the long run is to improve recycling habits. About less than 1% of rare earth metals are recovered, due to the extreme difficulty of retrieving the metals from complex technology. However, various companies including Umicore and Honda are developing recycling programs, ranging from melting magnets to tease rare metals out, to recovering metals from rechargeable metal hydride batteries. For elements where an increased demand is expected, a viable solution is to open new mines. The rare-earth division of Mountain Pass mine reopened, and has about 450 potential rare earth mines to examine. Alex King says that making the mining process more efficient will aid in increasing the amount of materials collected. His institute utilizes DOE supercomputers. Mining companies often grind up rock, throw it into water, and blow bubbles through it causing the rare earth minerals to float to the top. The supercomputers search for molecules that bind to the elements to help them float, capturing up to 75% percent of the materials. King says, the approaches are intended to be utilized within the next couple of years. In my opinion I find the decreasing rate of rare earth metals to be troublesome. The planet is presently in desperate need of efficient renewable energy technologies, and starved of the necessary materials, developing green technology is practically impossible. I personally believe the Earth has suffered severe damage, brought upon by society's creation of pollution, toxic chemicals, and other hazards. Hence, together we as a society ought to become more environmentally conscience and utilize technology in a manner that will salvage our planet, instead of killing it. To utilize green technology efficiently, we require the rare earth metals.
(Muller 257) There are prominent problems that need to be assisted and taken care of. Spending so much time and money on nuclear waste is just squandering
It should also be noted, that brass and steel have great recycling benefits. Understandably, this may not have been a deciding factor for choice of materials during the industrial revolution. None the less both alloys can be heated to the point they can be returned to a molten state and reformed into raw construction billets ready for future use.
Forest decline, oil leakages, holes in the ozone layer. Pollution on land and under water, topics like these have dominated the news since the end of the twentieth century. People are becoming more and more aware of the side effects of their desperately wanted progress.
For years, the environment has getting destroyed resulting in the melted Arctic ice caps due to global warming because of the pollution that goes into the atmosphere. It won’t stop there; if waste continues to accumulation at this rate, the earth will become a desert or covered by seawater. The world is a very delicate ecosystem and pollution is taking a toll on
The export of used cell phones to Africa and Asia are becoming commonplace because “it is cheaper to recycle in developing countries. The demand in these countries has grown to extract precise metal but “there are no proper facilities or environmental standards in place for proper disposal (Ford)”. Used cell phones are brought to scra...
As a human race I could not with a good conscious say that we have all done that is possible to preserve our planet. I believe it partially should be blamed on our lack of knowledge on how we are actually affecting it. If you ask the common college student results prove that most would say they care to a certain extent. However, they also know that they are just one person in this world. Therefore, I believe this would be an excellent article for The Shorthorn. Geologist might say that it is too late to turn back from what has already been done. Simply buying a Prius or turning off the air conditioning won’t save our Earth. The fact of the matter is that “this civilization is already dead.” Now the key
... of climate change. Time is running short for the world to take action to preserve the equilibrium that maintains our atmosphere conducive to nurturing all life on earth.
“Waste Management Overview.” World Nuclear Association. World Nuclear Association. Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. >.
Today, we take many of our natural resources for granted without think about the consequences. For example, cutting down trees, burning fossil fuel, and the consumption of meat. Our ozone layer is becoming weaker and weaker to due factories burning too much fossil fuel. This causes too much carbon dioxide, which affects our ozone layer. If we can limit the amount of natural resources we use on a daily basis, we will be able to see a big change in society.
For most of America, recycling has become a way of life. For some, it is a valiant effort to take charge of our waste and do what is right for the environment and for future generations. For others, it is a forced mentality by government agencies or private businesses who attempt to prove their value by self-promoting their commitment to environmental responsibility. Recycling, in theory, is a positive effort; however, massive recycling programs are not the answer. Recycling programs in general lack an intelligent way to a means, since the costs and environmental burden may outweigh the desired result. Recyclers should only focus on materials that they can process in a cost effective way, and consumers should focus
In old batteries, there is a toxic lead that is causing health problems for the Taiwan people who are disposing these batteries (Gay, 12). Space is becoming a landfill from the excess of space flights and the radioactive supplies from nuclear reactors, which could come to our atmosphere and explode (Gay, 13). When businesses run out of space to dump their toxic trash they go to poor nations because they do not have strict safety regulations (Gay, 31). The landfills on Earth are not the only place trash is getting put. The ocean is being trashed with plastic bags, soda can holders, and large fishnets, which are harming dolphins, turtles, sea lions, and others (Gay, 69). Military bases in the U.S have more hazardous waste and are responsible for contamination in soil and waters (Gay, 83). There are other hazards happening because we are throwing away so much stuff that companies have to remake all of those products. Incinerators are places where waste is burned to ashes and if we recycle these can go away. Incinerators cause sulfur dioxide, carbon m...
Aluminum is an element in the boron group with a symbol of Al, and an atomic number of 13. Aluminum is a very soft metal when pure but becomes strong and hard when alloyed, a malleable metal with a silvery gray color. Aluminum is a very reactive element so it is found in nature combined with other elements. Aluminum resists corrosion by the formation of a self-protecting oxide coating. Aluminum is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, following oxygen and silicon. It makes up approximately 8% by weight of the Earth’s surface. Although this is evident, it is also apparent that aluminum is never found by itself in nature. All of the earth’s aluminum has combined with other elements to form compounds and in order to create new aluminum products; it has to be taken out of that specific compound. Aluminum does not rust like other elements, therefore it always remains strong and shiny, which means reused aluminum is almost identical to a brand new piece of metal. An electrochemical process creates aluminum. An electrochemical process is “the direct process end use in which electricity is used to cause a chemical transformation” ( E.I.A. Government). Major uses of electrochemical processes occur in the aluminum industry in which alumina is reduced to molten aluminum metal and oxygen, where than the aluminum can be used into making several different materials. Electrochemical processes, although very useful, can have serious environmental consequences. To help reduce the consequences that the production of aluminum creates, the idea of aluminum recycling comes into play.
Many people assume that the environment is not in danger. They believe that as technology advances, we do not need to worry about renewing natural resources, recycling, and finding new ways to produce energy. They state that one person in the world does not make a large difference. In reality, each individual's contribution greatly affects our environment. Our natural resources are slowly disappearing, and we must work together to save them and the Earth from ruin.
There are also several long term benefits of recycling. For example, “collecting and processing secondary materials, manufacturing recy...
Recycling is such a fantastic way for us to reuse the waste we once throw. Yet, not everything is easy to be done in this world. There many difficulties that face recycling process economically and socially. Usually In order to recycle, waste paper needs to be sorted and treated from any Impurities. Which means that companies will loss finance because there must be someone or something that could sort or treat these papers. Another problem is that to start recycling, companies needs a lot of good recyclable supply to pick it up; after all, they need good economic benefits (Problems with Recycling, 2014). According to the Waste and Resources Action Program, there are some barriers p...