Great Western Minerals Group To Conduct Yttrium Oxide Assessment for DoD

MICHIGAN (PROACTIVE INVESTORS) - The US Department of Defense announced on 1 October 2012 that it has chosen Great Western Minerals Group's (GWMG) rare earth processing subsidiary, Great Western Technologies of Troy, Michigan, to conduct a supply chain assessment for high purity yttrium oxide.

Yttrium Oxide (Y2O3)

Almost all high-purity yttria is currently produced in China. The DoD uses yttrium oxide in several defense applications such as polishing compounds for precision lasers and thermal barrier coatings for jet engines. The DoD has projected an annual shortfall of 93 short tons of elemental yttrium from domestic sources by 2013.

"We intend to advance previous Department of Defense research to uncover the extent to which the defense industrial base has the capacity to produce high-purity yttrium oxide to support critical defense programs," interim GWMG chief executive Robert Quinn said in a release. Source: Great Western Minerals to conduct yttrium oxide purification assessment for U.S. Department of Defense.
(Reliability: Moderate)

Comments: Since China produces nearly 95 percent of the world's rare earths, and since there are not effective substitutes for yttrium, finding domestic sources for mining and production is likely to become more important to national defense security. The use of yttrium as a component in phosphors and electronics is especially important to US economics and defense applications.