Expert from Universitas Airlangga States that Rare Earth Metals are Not Only Found in Lapindo
Rare earth metals found in the Lapindo mudflow in Sidoarjo present a significant potential for utilization. These metals are considered valuable and essential for high-tech applications, such as aerospace manufacturing, semiconductors, and advanced lighting technologies. The presence of rare earth metals is not limited to the Lapindo mudflow; in fact, the entire Earth’s surface contains these elements.
Dr. rer. nat. Ganden Supriyanto, M.Sc., an expert in analytical and environmental chemistry from the Faculty of Science and Technology at Universitas Airlangga (FST UNAIR), explains that rare earth metals exist across the Earth’s surface in varying concentrations. The presence of these metals largely depends on the geological formation processes, as each region has different concentrations.
“We cannot determine that a particular region has high or low concentrations of rare earth metals without analyzing the elemental content in the soil,” Ganden explained.
Rare earth metals in the Sidoarjo Lapindo mud that emerge have great potential for utilization. These metals are expensive and beneficial for high-tech applications such as spacecraft manufacturing, semiconductors, and high-tech lamps. The occurrence of rare earth metals is not limited to the Lapindo mud alone but is found across the Earth’s surface.
Dr. rer. nat. Ganden Supriyanto, M.Sc., an expert in analytical chemistry and environmental chemistry from the Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga (FST UNAIR), explained that rare earth metals exist throughout the Earth’s surface with varying concentrations. Their appearance depends significantly on the rock formation process, as each region has different concentrations.
“We cannot determine whether certain areas have high or low concentrations of rare earth metals, so to determine these concentrations, we need to analyze the elemental content in the soil,” Ganden said.
Regarding the emergence of rare earth metals in the Sidoarjo Lapindo mud, Ganden suggested that this might be due to higher concentrations of scandium and lithium in that area compared to others. For every 1 kg of soil taken from the Lapindo mud, the rare earth metal content exceeds 100 grams.
Furthermore, Ganden suggested that the appearance of rare earth metals could also be attributed to metals rising from beneath the Earth’s surface through the center of the Lapindo mud eruption.
“So, it means that they (rare earth metals) did not form suddenly but were already present there. Due to the Lapindo mudflow incident, they surfaced, possibly rising from deep within the soil beneath the surface,” he explained.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the Lapindo mud is not entirely discharged into the Porong River but mostly stored within embankments due to the potential presence of valuable rare earth metals.
“The disposal of Lapindo mud into the Porong River is actually quite minimal. Sometimes, there are operational challenges because they know that Lapindo mud contains valuable rare earth metals,” he concluded.
Uploaded from the source http://news.unair.ac.id/2022/01/28/pakar-kimia-unair-logam-tanah-jarang-bukan-di-lapindo-saja/
