UMP To Set Up Rare Earth Research Centre

By Siti Hawa Othman KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 (Bernama) -- The growing public interest in rare earth has prompted University of Malaysia, Pahang (UMP) to set up a Rare Earth Research Centre to enable more research to be done on rare earth unique elements. UMP vice-chancellor Prof Dr Daing Mohd Nasir Daing Ibrahim considered it to be an opportune time to enhance research on rare earth, especially with the current issues surrounding the Lynas rare earth processing plant in Gebeng, Kuantan (Pahang, Malaysia). He also expressed hope to expedite the process of setting up the centre and get into high quality research in rare earth as soon as possible through collaboration with UMP partners, especially Karlsruhr Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany, Peking University of China, as well as local universities and Nuclear Malaysia. "Rare earth is a strategic industry. We are committed to develop human capital and knowledge in this field, so that Malaysia would be poised to be a serious player in the rare earth industry," he told Bernama after a recent visit by leading foreign rare earth experts to UMP in Gambang, Kuantan. Prior to that, the experts from Canada, United States, Germany and China, had also visited Lynas Advanced Material Plant in Gebeng and gave the thumbs up for a sprawling state-of-the-art facility. Meanwhile, UMP deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Prof Dr Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz said UMP was planning, among others, to carry out environmental baseline study in Gebeng, in collaboration with KIT, Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) and other local universities. Such baseline monitoring, which include that of air emission, water discharge, noise level, have been done by UMP and other universities, but not as comprehensive as the one planned to be carried out, he said. On the current rare earth programmes conducted in UMP, he said the university was concentrating on three areas: a) Alternative processing of rare earth separation; b) Application of rare earth in petrochemical refining, automotive and other sectors; and, c) Environmental management, including environmental baseline study. "You can see how rare earth has become a very strategic metal because of the technological advancement. You cannot run away from all those gadgets, computers, technology applications like battery for hybrid cars and wind turbines"," he added. As for the proposed Rare Earth Research Centre, Badhrulhisham said the collaboration with KIT would be on radioactive monitoring and assessment while that with Peking University would be on processing aspect of rare earth separation processes. Collaboration with Nuclear Malaysia, on the other hand, would involve the scale up study on extraction of uranium and thorium from naturally occurring radioactive materials or NORM waste, while that with Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and other local universities would be on application of rare earth products. -- BERNAMA