Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas!

SMSL PRESS STATEMENT ON 30/12/2017

A public statement on Issues remaining unresolved arising from the operations of Lynas Advanced Material Plant at Gebeng, Pahang.

The PDF (Permanent Disposal facility) for its radioactive Water Leach Purification (WLP) wastes.

Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP), a rare earth extraction plant located in Gebeng Industrial Estate (GIE) obtained its Temporary Operating License (TOL) in September 2012. In granting the TOL, the regulating authorities required LAMP to submit a detail plan on the selection of the location and management of its radioactive wastes in a Permanent Disposal Facility (PDF) within 10 months of its operations. According to the regulating authorities, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) , it was fulfilled conceptually but no mention had been made on the location.

Since then announcements had been made ‘periodically’ by Lynas that they have found a way to recycle the radioactive wastes into road base aggregates; soil enhancers, etc and experiments had been ongoing thus negating the necessity to identify a PDF for the said radioactive wastes. These reports and announcements can be read in various online and print media and their quarterly submissions to the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). (Just Google PDF)

The latest being the claim that a soil enhancer (conditioner) called ‘Condisoil’ has been successfully formulated from the mixture of all three types of solid residues inclusive of the radioactive WLP residues for use in agriculture! All previous attempts and claims to recycle the radioactive WLP evaporated into thin air!

In last July’s Parliamentary sittings, all members of Parliament were informed by the Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau that the recycled product ‘ Condisoil’ had yet to receive SIRIM’s green light. (http://www.thesundaily.my) He also revealed that the mixture of ‘Condisoil’ was made up of 1 part of WLP; 2 parts of NUF (Neutralization Underflow) and 7 parts of FGD (Flue Gas Desulfurization) residues. Meanwhile the Lynas Management had gone to town to declare that the successful development of this ’new product’ has resolved the requirement of finding a location and building the PDF to safely manage the radioactive WLP wastes! (Sin chew Jitpoh 19th July 2017)

We the residents of Kuantan are appalled by such irresponsible claims!

Here are the reasons:

1. In order to better understand the components of the soil enhancer called ‘Condisoil’ we have to first take a look at the chemical compositions of these constituents. Attached are the chemical make-up of each category of these three residues produced during the extraction of rare earth oxides (compounds) at LAMP. ( See attachments 1; 2 & 3)

2. From the chemical compositions listed ( provided by Lynas in its Radioactive Waste Management Plan (RWMP) ), it is obvious that WLP carries with it many chemicals that are of little or no use to plants and the most damaging part of all is its content of the radioactive Thorium and Radium!

3. Any attempt or experiment to mix these ‘residues’ would have to take into serious consideration on overcoming technical difficulties in the measurement of correct mixture because each of these residues, produced in moist cake forms, contains 40-45% moisture.

4. A correct or accurate mixture of these residues would invariably involve a preliminary step of drying and this action attracts tremendous costs in fuel expenditure which makes the attempt economically non-viable!

5. To entrust and seek approval from SIRIM on Condisoil’s safe usage is totally misplaced! SIRIM is the body that appraises and evaluates proposed industrial standards’ drafted by relevant professional bodies before they become Malaysian Standards. Does this mean should SIRIM approve ‘Condisoil’, it would become the Malaysian Standard for recycled radioactive wastes? How would other industries churning out radioactive wastes view this? They too would have the liberty of ‘mixing’ their radioactive wastes, giving it a fancy name and pass it off as a safe recycled industrial byproduct?

6. The proposed mixture of 1:2:7 of WLP: NUF: FGD will leave behind large quantities of unused radioactive WLP wastes for lack of FGD to go with it to create the so called ‘ Condisoil’.

From the data provided by Lynas in their RWMP,for every ton of REO ( Rare Earth Oxides) produced there will be an accompanying 13.41 tons of solid residues produced ; out of which 2.85 tons will be WLP; 7.93 tons NUF and 2.63 tons FGD. There are more WLP produced than FGD and yet their requirement in the mixture is 1:7. Mathematically it can be worked out that with all the FGD produced and used in formulating the Condisoil, only 13.18% of WLP will be consumed for this purpose! May we know what Lynas intends to do with the remaining 86.82% of the radioactive WLP? Don’t they require a PDF to safely store it?

Ending September 2017, there is an estimated 138,820 tonnes (dry weight) of WLP residues generated and kept at the back of the LAMP! If Lynas were to successfully utilize all their FGD (127,720 tonnes) there will a balance of 120,523 tonnes of WLP in the residue storage facility in LAMP!

Lynas projected a greater quantum of REO production for the December Quarter this year and the coming years. How much more WLP will be added onto this existing pile of radioactive residues? Are they ready to act responsibly as a corporate citizen of this country by IDENTIFYING A SUITABLE SITE FOR THE PDF OR are they going to continue to hide behind their wonder industrial byproduct called ‘Condisoil’?

Just this month Lynas has spent quite a substantial amount of ringgits by taking out a 3 half-page coloured advertisements in a local newspapers while the mandatory safe deposits of USD 50 millions are yet to be fully satisfied fully according to agreed schedule!

If the regulating authorities, the AELB, believed that Condisoil is a viable solution to the management of the radioactive WLP waste , then perhaps the payment of this safe deposit may not be necessary!

It is obvious that the issue of resolving the radioactive waste safely by Lynas through ‘Condisoil’ is but an attempt to pull a wool over people’s eyes! If left unchecked, our beloved land will be littered with radioactive residues from LAMP!

Statement by Save Malaysia Stop Lynas Committee.

Here comes the NUF chemical compositions :
Composition ...................Weight %
FePO4.5H2O...................... -
Fe2O3................................. -
Fe(OH)3.............................. -
Al2O3.................................. -
Al (OH)3.............................. -
Al2 (SO4)3.16H2O.............. -
CaSO4. 2H2O..................... -
CaSO4.................................73.5
Ca(OH)2.............................. -
CaCO3................................ 4
CaCO3.2H2O...................... 2
CaC2O4............................... -
Ca3(PO4)2.4H2O................ 1.5
SiO2..................................... -
MgF2.................................... -
Mg(OH)2.............................. 17.5
MgCO3.3H2O....................... -
MgSO3.7H2O........................ -
Mg3(PO4)2.5H2O.................. -
LaPO4................................... 1.5
LaPO4.4H2O.......................... -
La(OH)3 ..................................-
La2(CO3)3.5H2O.................... -
CePO4.4H2O.......................... -
Ce(OH)3.................................. -
Ce2(CO3)3.5H2O.................... -
PrPO4.4H2O............................ -
Pr(OH)3.................................... -
Pr2(CO3)3.5H2O...................... -
Nd(OH)3.................................... -
Nd2(CO3)3.5H2O...................... -
NdPO4.3H2O............................. -
ThO2.......................................... -
Th(PO3) 4.4H2O........................ -
CaUO4....................................... -
Radiations.................................. 0.52Bq/g

( Total Activity concentration of Th-232 and U-238 decay chains)
The concentration of radionuclides in the rare earth products should be very low (< 0.2 Bq/g)

The FGD Chemical Compositions :

Composition...................... Weight %
FePO4.5H2O----------------------Nil -
Fe2O3-------------------------------Nil -
Fe(OH)3---------------------------- Ni l-
Al2O3--------------------------------Ni l-
Al (OH)3-----------------------------Nil -
Al2 (SO4)3.16H2O---------------Ni l-
CaSO4. 2H2O---------------------95
CaSO4 ------------------------------Ni l-
Ca(OH)2----------------------------- 4
CaCO3------------------------------- 0.1
CaCO3.2H2O-----------------------Nil -
CaC2O4------------------------------Ni l-
Ca3(PO4)2.4H2O------------------Nil -
SiO2-----------------------------------0.6
MgF2----------------------------------0.3
Mg(OH)2----------------------------- Nil -
MgCO3.3H2O----------------------- Nil -
MgSO3.7H2O----------------------- Nil -
Mg3(PO4)2.5H2O------------------ Nil -
LaPO4--------------------------------- Nil -
LaPO4.4H2O------------------------ Nil -
La(OH)3------------------------------- Nil -
La2(CO3)3.5H2O------------------- Nil -
CePO4.4H2O------------------------ Nil -
Ce(OH)3------------------------------- Nil -
Ce2(CO3)3.5H2O------------------- Nil -
PrPO4.4H2O------------------------- Nil -
Pr(OH)3-------------------------------- Nil -
Pr2(CO3)3.5H2O-------------------- Nil -
Nd(OH)3------------------------------- Nil -
Nd2(CO3)3.5H2O------------------- Nil -
NdPO4.3H2O------------------------- Nil -
ThO2------------------------------------ Nil -
Th(PO3) 4.4H2O--------------------- Nil -
CaUO4---------------------------------- Nil -
Radiations------------------------------ 0.47 Bq/g

( Total Activity concentration of Th-232 and U-238 decay chains)

Here are the Chemical compositions of each category of the residues :
Chemical Composition of the Residue Streams

Composition WLP......Weight %
FePO4.5H2O ------------ 54
Fe2O3 ----------------------- 5.5
Fe(OH)3--------------------- 4
Al2O3 -------------------------0.1
Al (OH)3 ----------------------3
Al2 (SO4)3.16H2O---------1.7
CaSO4. 2H2O---------------3.5
CaSO4 ------------------------0.9
Ca(OH)2 ----------------------0.1
CaCO3 ------------------------Nil
CaCO3.2H2O----------------0.1
CaC2O4 ----------------------Nil
Ca3(PO4)2.4H2O ----------2
SiO2 ---------------------------8
MgF2 --------------------------Nil
Mg(OH)2----------------------0.03
MgCO3.3H2O--------------- 2.5
MgSO3.7H2O--------------- 6.5
Mg3(PO4)2.5H2O---------- 0.2
LaPO4 ------------------------ Nil
LaPO4.4H2O---------------- 2
La(OH)3 ----------------------0.1
La2(CO3)3.5H2O-----------0.2
CePO4.4H2O --------------- 3
Ce(OH)3----------------------- 0.1
Ce2(CO3)3.5H2O----------- 0.4
PrPO4.4H2O------------------0.4
Pr(OH)3-------------------------0.01
Pr2(CO3)3.5H2O-------------0.03
Nd(OH)3------------------------ 0.05
Nd2(CO3)3.5H2O------------ 0.1
NdPO4.3H2O------------------1.3
ThO2-----------------------------1000ppm
Th(PO3) 4.4H2O--------------1200ppm
CaUO4 ------------------------- 30ppm
Radiations----------------------62.29

(Total Activity concentration of Th-232 and U-238 decay chains) Bq/g


With this detailed breakdown of WLP's Chemical compositions, one will be able to determine its 'synergistic' if any role in complementing the FGD and NUF in the 'Condisoil'(2).