A major presence in the market for rare earths outside of China, Lynas Malaysia maintains a processing plant in Gebeng in addition to Lynas’ concentration plant in Western Australia. In recent years, the company has made a concerted effort to dispel certain myths about rare earth element processing. Here is a short list of common misconceptions about rare earths.
Rare earths are rare: Despite what the name suggests, rare earths appear on every continent. Although China controls some 95 percent of all processing activities in the world, companies such as Lynas operate in multiple countries across the globe.
Rare earth element processing is dangerous: Throughout the years, rare earth element processing facilities have had very few problems adhering to high employee safety standards. As of mid-2012, Lynas Malaysia’s processing plant had clocked more than 8 million construction hours without a single safety incident resulting in lost time.
