If everything goes as planned, by September this year, the largest rare earth refinery in the worldcalled Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) will start operating in Gebeng Industrial Zone, some 25 km away from Kuantan town, home to almost half a million people. Lynas will import rare earth ores from Mount Weld in Australia to be processed in Gebeng. The finished products will be exported overseas while the radioactive waste dumped in Gebeng. This plant will cast a shadow over Kuantan town. Real estate price will plunge, residents who are able to relocate will flee and those who are not will be in constant fear of radiation exposure.
As soon as operations begin, Lynas Advanced Materials plant will leave behind 28,000 tonnes of solid waste per year.
SOLID WASTE MATERIAL
3 types of waste from the cracking-separation plant:
Water Leached Purification (WLP)
3 types of waste from the cracking-separation plant:
Water Leached Purification (WLP)
• The residue from the water leach and neutralisation process
is a slightly acidic filter cake containing Fe2SO4, PO4, SO4
and lesser amount of Ca & Mg and insoluble oxides and
hydroxides of Al, Ca, Si, Mn and rare earths.
Flue Gas Desulphurization Residue (FGD)
• Lime will be used to remove SO2 from waste gas stream and
produce Ca2SO4 solid
Neutralization Underflow Residue (NUF)
• Produced from the neutralisation of a dilute sulfuric acid.
AND WHAT ABOUT RADIOACTIVE WASTE?:
• Impact assessment on the radioactive waste shall be carried out
through Radiological Impact Assessment (RIA) by AELB
• All waste will be stored at the RSF with clay liner and HDPE liner
• Total of 106 tonnes of thorium waste being generated per year.
(base on the EIA figure: 1655ppm x 64,000 tonpa of WLP)
• The radioactivity : 62 Bg/g X 106 ton ?
Thorium
• Thorium decays to produce a chain of Radioactive
daughters, each one emitting radioactive particles
till the stable element Plumbum (lead)
In natural ores, these radioactive elements are in
equilibrium.
• After processing, this state of equilibrium is altered.
Each of the radioactive elements becomes separate
decay series, the radioactive decay is set in perpetual
motion.
• This understanding is important when addressing
total radiological risks.
How does Thorium gets into the environment?
• The waste products from the processing plant :
* liquids – even though treated, suspended and
dissolved Thorium can not be removed
* gas – Radon gas released during crushing and from
continuous decay in waste dump site
* solids – the mill tailings are in the form of fine
powder which may be carried through wind, rain and
underground water into wider environment
How does Thorium gets into the environment?
• The waste products from the processing plant :
* liquids – even though treated, suspended and
dissolved Thorium can not be removed
* gas – Radon gas released during crushing and from
continuous decay in waste dump site
* solids – the mill tailings are in the form of fine
powder which may be carried through wind, rain and
underground water into wider environment
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| A simple illustration by a young Kuantan resident showing how the wastes poses a threat to us. (Click to enlarge)
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