The United States is accelerating the extraction of neodymium and dysprosium to manufacture weaponry without relying on Chinese processing. A New Hampshire company plans to recover these materials from mining waste, but it will need between 14 and 18 months and a $500 million loan to expand its plant. The current shortage could delay defense and make technology more expensive.
Mining recycling technology: a bet on strategic self-sufficiency 🏭
The process involves treating tailings and waste from old mining operations to extract rare earths through selective chemical leaching. The pilot plant already produces high-purity oxides, but industrial scale requires new reactors, solvent separation systems, and electrolysis. The federal loan would cover infrastructure and hiring specialists. Without that investment, the project would remain in the experimental phase, leaving the military industry without a viable short-term alternative.
The perfect plan: wait 18 months and pay $500 million so no one notices the difference 😅
Meanwhile, China will keep selling neodymium magnets at half the price, because of course, the plan is great: spend half a billion dollars to produce in two years what Beijing does in weeks. The funny part is that the Pentagon asks for patience, as if missiles could wait while the plant grows. And if something goes wrong, there is always the option of asking for another loan. Strategic independence is a joke told in installments.