The Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project in South Africa is set to extract rare earth elements from industrial waste, backed by a $50 million US investment. This initiative is part of American efforts to reduce its dependence on China for essential minerals.

Two enormous sandlike dunes at an old chemical processing plant in South Africa are at the centre of an exploratory US-backed project to extract highly sought-after rare earth elements from industrial mining waste. The Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project has US support through a US$50 million equity investment by the government’s International Development Finance Corporation and is part of accelerated US efforts to reduce its reliance on China for the minerals crucial for making electronic devices,.....