Article

2010-01-13 Science & Technology

Inside China's secret toxic unobtainium mine (Green tech's dirty little secrets)

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Posted by logi_cal 2010-01-13 10:32|| || Front Page|| [5 views ] Top

#1 I hear the moon is comprised of unobtainiums.

Posted by Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2010-01-13 11:19|| 2010-01-13 11:19|| Front Page Top

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2010-01-13 11:28|| 2010-01-13 11:28|| Front Page Top

#3 35 + years ago I did my senior thesis on pollution in the USSR. Just like now the greenies in the US (aka my mother-in-law) were sceaming about how bad capitalists are.

I researched the heck out of the topic with the help of my Russian ex-pat prof who translated loads of local things with me and found that Communism by definition (look up free good) cannot value nature.

China is just carrying on in the same way for all the same reasons. It is the most polluted hell-hole on the planet. All the water-melons should be swapped for an equal number on normal Chinese folks.

Posted by AlanC 2010-01-13 11:47|| 2010-01-13 11:47|| Front Page Top

#4 It is the most polluted hell-hole on the planet. Amen, brother. My sister got a job teaching English there in 1994, got so sick from the bad air she had to return within 6 months, it took her 18 months to recuperate. She can't be the only Westerner who has noticed this.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-01-13 12:05|| 2010-01-13 12:05|| Front Page Top

#5 In 2021, there is going to be a close pass to Earth of an asteroid called "4660 Nereus". Right then it will be easier to get to than even the Moon. Then four years later it will make another pass close by Earth.

This is important because it is likely as much as 3% assorted metals. If we could land a mining robot there, it could mine the heck out of the asteroid, then bundle great quantities of ore for shipment to a space station ore processor.

This would refine it to maybe 90% metal, which is good enough to send up a cargo ship to retrieve, if the metal is mostly platinum group and rare earths.

Posted by Anonymoose 2010-01-13 12:30|| 2010-01-13 12:30|| Front Page Top

#6 So is it Green Technology because the mess is in somebody else's back yard?

Posted by gorb 2010-01-13 13:26|| 2010-01-13 13:26|| Front Page Top

#7 So is it Green Technology because the mess is in somebody else's back yard?

Of course it is. While I admit I like the idea of a lot of the newer technologies out there I also realize that like RAH said "There is no such thing as a free lunch"

Posted by Cheaderhead 2010-01-13 17:58|| 2010-01-13 17:58|| Front Page Top

#8 My understanding of rare earth metals is that they're not that rare, but the process of extraction generates a lot of pollutants that seep into the groundwater. China is trying to limit exports in order to limit the damage to the Chinese environment. The reason we're buying this stuff from China is because they can mine on the cheap, since pollution controls are non-existent. Done the American way (with pollution controls), the cost of these metals would increase significantly.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2010-01-13 23:58|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com 2010-01-13 23:58|| Front Page Top

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