The Comments on this Tweet from a man who appears to know a great deal about the subject of rare earth mining are fascinating. It led me to the book below.
How do we make #GreenEnergy without sulphuric acid? Answer, we can't. Congo miners import about 3 million tons of sulphuric acid a year. Acid accounts for 16% of operating costs. Securing just 1 ton of rare earth elements produces 2,000 tons of toxic, radioactive waste. Green? pic.twitter.com/z2BqunBDfY
— John Lee Pettimore (@JohnLeePettim13) January 29, 2023