A resource that is "eight times rarer than gold" will soon be mined in Utah, reported KSL.
The resource, called Tellurium, is one of the rarest elements on Earth, and it will be recovered at Rio Tinto's Kennecott mine as a byproduct of copper smelting.
Tellurium is critical for green energy. The films from the compound can be used to turn sunlight into electricity. It can also be added to steel and copper, which makes them easier to cut, and used in the manufacturing of night vision goggles for the military.
The company has plans to produce about 20 tons of the resource per year. Since there are only around 5000 tons produced globally each year, 20 tons is a significant amount.
With the recent announcement from Rio Tinto, this means that there will be a new supply chain of the mineral in North America.
Rio Tinto Kennecott managing director Gaby Poirer said:
"The minerals and metals we produce are essential to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. Adding tellurium to our product portfolio provides customers in North America with a secure and reliable source of tellurium produced at the highest environmental and labor standards with renewable energy."
Kennecott's smelting process recovers about 20 percent of America's supple of copper, along with recovering gold, silver, platinum, palladium, ad selenium.
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