Lynas says recycled waste non-radioactive

https://www.justreadonline.com/2018/01/02/77657/

Lynas says recycled waste non-radioactive

January 2, 2018


KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — Lynas Corporation today said that the recycled waste at its rare earth refinery plant in Pahang has been found to be effective and non-radioactive, and also gave its assurance that it would comply with the requirements set by Malaysia’s regulating authority.
Lynas was responding to claims by the Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) group yesterday on the company’s recycling of waste into the soil conditioner product called Condisoil, and also the latter’s insistence that the company identify a site for permanent disposal facility (PDF) for the waste produced.
“As an organisation that takes its responsibilities to the environment and to our communities seriously, we prioritise safety. We invest in accurate measurement so decisions can be based on facts, which is why we want to first correct a couple of factual errors.
“Condisoil has been certified, by SIRIM, as non-toxic, non-radioactive and non-carcinogenic. As stated on our website, the formulation of Condisoil comprises WLP, NUF and inert filler materials (not FGD as incorrectly stated by SMSL),” Lynas said in an email to Malay Mail.
The Water Leached Purification Residue (WLP) and the Neutralization Underflow (NUF) are waste produced at the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Pahang.
SMSL had said the Condisoil formulation for agricultural use is one part of WLP, two parts of NUF and seven parts of Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD). It had also said the WLP residue contains many chemicals that are of little or no use to plants, as well as the radioactive elements of Thorium and Radium.
On its website, Lynas said the NUF is a non-toxic and non-radioactive magnesium-rich residue that can be used to condition poor agricultural soil and that the WLP residue is a low-level radioactive material that is also an iron phosphogypsum that compliments NUF for the same agricultural use.
Today, Lynas cited tests done together with the local universities of Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, saying: “Effectiveness of Condisoil has been proven by way of various field trials, conducted in collaboration with UPM, MARDI and UKM.”
Lynas also cited two links on its own website on residue management and Condisoil.
Lynas also responded to SMSL’s claims that the company had yet to fully satisfy the required deposits of US$50 million with Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB).
“In relation to PDF deposit payments, Lynas can affirm that the company is fully compliant with the agreed deposit schedule, as detailed in the company’s most recent September quarterly report,” the company said.
“We want to take this opportunity to reassure your readers that Lynas has acted and will continue to act within all AELB Full Operating Stage Licence (FOSL) conditions relating to the operational and environmental performance of the facility, including those requirements associated with a possible future requirement for a PDF.
“However, it is worth restating that the preferred option under the Lynas residue management plan is commercial reuse, and not permanent storage,” it said.
In September 2016, Lynas said Malaysian authorities had renewed its LAMP’s full operating stage licence for another three years until September 2019.
Lynas said on its website that the WLP residue is currently safely stored in a temporary residue storage facility within the LAMP in Pahang, and that it was designed and built to meet the requirement of a PDF within the plant, noting that constant monitoring showed no increase in background radiation levels at up to 20km from the plant. – Malaymail