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@ARTICLE{Schreiber:893213,
author = {Schreiber, Andrea and Marx, Josefine and Zapp, Petra},
title = {{L}ife {C}ycle {A}ssessment studies of rare earths
production - {F}indings from a systematic review},
journal = {The science of the total environment},
volume = {791},
issn = {0048-9697},
address = {Amsterdam [u.a.]},
publisher = {Elsevier Science},
reportid = {FZJ-2021-02630},
pages = {148257 -},
year = {2021},
abstract = {Rare earth elements (REEs) are one of the most important
elements used for transformation of the fossil era into a
decarbonized future. REEs are essential for wind, electric
and hybrid vehicles, and low-energy lighting. However, there
is a general understanding that REEs come along with
multiple environmental problems during their extraction and
processing.Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a well-established
method for a holistic evaluation of environmental effects of
a product system considering the entire life cycle. This
paper reviews LCA studies for determining the environmental
impacts of rare earth oxide (REO) production from Bayan Obo
and ion adsorption clays (IAC) in China, and shows why some
studies lead to over- and underestimated results.We found
out that current LCA studies of REE production provide a
good overall understanding of the underlying process chains,
which are mainly located in China. However, life cycle
inventories (LCI) appear often not complete. Several lack
accuracy, consistency, or transparency. Hence, resulting
environmental impacts are subject to great uncertainty. This
applies in particular to radioactivity and the handling of
wastewater and slurry in tailing ponds, which have often
been neglected.This article reviews 35 studies to identify
suitable LCAs for comparison. The assessment covers the
world's largest REO production facility, located in Bayan
Obo, as well as in-situ leaching of IACs in the Southern
Provinces of China. A total of 12 studies are selected, 8
for Bayan Obo and IACs each. The LCIs of these studies are
reviewed in detail. The effects of over- and underestimated
LCIs on the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) are
investigated. The partly controversial results of existing
LCAs are analyzed thoroughly and discussed. Our results show
that an increased consistency in LCA studies on REO
production is needed.},
cin = {IEK-STE},
ddc = {610},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)IEK-STE-20101013},
pnm = {1112 - Societally Feasible Transformation Pathways
(POF4-111)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-1112},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
pubmed = {pmid:34412378},
UT = {WOS:000686014900007},
doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148257},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/893213},
}