#150 - Testing Rare-Earth Element Extraction in Jamaica

During a post-holiday euphoria a couple years ago, I did a post on some of the analysis applications that we have had in the Caribbean areas. One such application involved the Noranda Bauxite Mine in St. Anne, Jamaica.

I just returned from another holiday in Jamaica and our trip to the resort took us past this facility once again. The driver of the coach explained that the mine itself is set back from the highway. The extracted ore is crushed and then conveyed to the large circular dome structure near the coast which stores and dries it. When a ship arrives at the docks in St. Anne, the crushed ore is transferred to the dock facilities by means of a conveyor system that extends under the highway and up into the ship loader. (see pictures)

The mine itself is not actually visible from the highway because of its higher elevation.
Jamaica is surprisingly mountainous and the mine is located up in these regions.
Coastal roads, towns, and many resorts are obviously located down closer to sea level.

Much of the Noranda bauxite is shipped to their alumina processing facility in Gramercy, Louisiana, USA. However, a recent initiative has emerged in Kingston Jamaica to test the feasibility of extracting rare-earth elements from the waste of the bauxite mine in St. Anne.

Jamaica's energy minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, has opened a pilot plant where researchers will conduct this testing. The work is in cooperation with Nippon Light Metal Co. Ltd. of Japan, which holds a patent for a type of technology that extracts rare-earth elements from red bauxite residue. Rare-earth elements are key ingredients for high-tech products like smartphones and computers.

Regarding mining and ore processing:

Tenova Takraf produces ore processing and handling equipment similar to what is installed at the Noranda site. Takraf has also been responsible for some of the largest port and ship-loading equipment ever built.

Tenova has also recently acquired Bateman with expertise in rare earth processing.

Aerial photo from Google Earth.
Jamaican rare-earth testing news from the Chem-info website.
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