Facts on Rare Earth

A very insightful information by a Chemical Engineer which every concerned Malaysian citizen should know…

Q1: What is rare earth (RE) ?

Rare earth (RE) is just a metal, as ordinary as other metals like iron, silver and gold. The difference between them is we don’t encounter RE in daily life, e.g. you don’t wear RE bracelets, you don’t build the bridge with RE. It’s precious, valuable and essential for many high-tech industries.

Q2: Who is LYNAS ?

LYNAS is the owner of the RE Mine and Gebeng plant, incorporated and listed in Australia . LYNAS (M) Sdn. Bhd is wholly owned by LYNAS Inc.

Q3: Where does the RE come from ? What is it like ?

Like other metals, RE is found in ore ( rock ) in West Australia . The ore is mined, cleaned and crushed into sand or powder form, before being shipped to Kuantan. The journey is about 5000 km. The size of a single grain of powder can be 100 times smaller than the diameter of a strand of hair.

Q4: Why do they take the RE from Australia and process it here ?

The official statement said that Australia cannot provide high-skilled manpower, and that Australia cannot supply enough water, acids and natural gas to process RE. (take note that Malaysians are more highly skilled than Australians)

Q5: What do we get in terms of income ?

Malaysia was offered 12 years tax break to LYNAS, which means they do not pay us anything during the first 12 years of operation. Eventually, all revenue generated here will probably be channeled back to the LYNAS Inc. share holders in Australia , and not to LYNAS (M) Sdn. Bhd.

Q6: What do we get in terms of job opportunities ?

Only a total of 350 employees are needed, including expatriate, skilled and unskilled workers. The number of employees in a mid-size supermarket is greater than this.

Q7: What do we get in terms of new world-class technology ?

Malaysia is not a traditional, major RE-producing country. Transferring RE processing knowledge to Malaysia does not considerably benefit the country and its people.

Q8: So, what actually do we get ?

Save the “ Jobs created, new technology and sales revenue of chemicals, water and natural gas ”, strictly speaking, in the first 12 years – Nothing ! Except large quantities of waste. To be more precise, 500 cubic meters / hour of waste water, 100,000 cubic meters/hour of waste gas and 280,000 tonnes / year of solid waste.

Q9: Is RE dangerous ?

Most RE metals are harmless, but in natural ore RE is normally mixed with the radioactive substances. During the separation process, valuable RE is extracted and exported to US, Europe and Japan , leaving behind harmful substances in Kuantan.

Q10: How dangerous is it ?

The radioactive substances release radiation and two major toxic materials – radon gas and lead. Radon is a colorless, odorless toxic gas. When it gets into the human body through inhalation, it can damage cells and cause cancer. As for lead, many years ago petrol gas been changed from leaded to unleaded, as we didn’t want lead to be released to the air through our car exhaust. Lead can harm the nervous system, and cause brain and blood diseases. In short, two key hazards can be found in Gebeng RE plant - the Radiation and the Toxic Materials.

Q11: Where and when can the radiation, radon and lead be found ?

The RE raw material ( in powder or sand form ) arrives at the Kuantan port, then gets transported to Gebeng by truck, where it is unloaded, transferred and processed. Waste gas from chimneys, the waste water disposed into the Balok River , the solid wastes that are stored in Gebeng - possibly in all of the above we can find the radioactive substances, which can emit radiation, radon and lead, wherever and whenever they are present.

Q12: Mr. A lives in Balok, 3km from Gebeng. Mr. B lives in Kuantan, 30km from Gebeng. Mr. C lives in KL, 300km from Gebeng. Can the radioactive materials endanger them ?

In short, the answer is NO for all of them if they stay more than 100 metres away from radioactive materials. But, the answer is YES for all three if they consumed these harmful substances, even if they stay hundreds of kilometres away. WHY ? The radiation emitted in Gebeng doesn’t travel long distance to harm us, hence if you stand a short distance away from the materials without consuming it, all you will get is a slight Radiation. Radon gas and lead in general do not affect our body externally, as we are protected by our skin. However, if these radioactive materials contaminate the solid waste, waste water and waste gas, they will be released to the atmosphere, water streams and eventually the food chain. Once the radioactive materials enter the human body via inhalation, ingestion and wound penetration, the radiation, radon and lead will be released inside the body and these can cause very serious consequences.

Q13: Why did they say that it is safe ? Why did they say that the radioactivity is low? Who should I listen to ?

You decide who you should listen to ! It’s your life, it’s your family, it’s your home. See above to understand why they said the radioactivity is low. 

The questions were answered by Dr. Lee Chee Hong, Chemical Engineering Expert on Metals.

Classic Words from Steve Jobs

Some times in our lives we doubt the decision that we may make. People around us keep feeding us with all the negative information on the decision we are about to make. And most of the time we find ourselves succumb to this external pressure that in the end we give up on taking the very first step that may lead us to success. Whenever you experience this kind of thought, pause for a moment and listen to Steve Jobs instead.

Wonder of Nature

The glowing firefly squid of Toyama, Japan. The squid (scientific name: Watasenia scintillans) is a member of the cephalopod family and gets its name from the flashing lights that resemble those of a firefly. This squid is famous for the incredible light show that occurs each year off the coast of Japan as millions of these tiny animals gather to spawn.

In the Cloud of Uncertainty

When I first created this blog, there was the global economic crisis looming. After almost 3 years, it seems that another catastrophe may happen with the sudden plunge of US stock market last weekend. Just when the world started to recover that we hear such news. My concern is not so much about the economy but the fate of the architectural industry which is closely associated with it.

Was last week event a warning sign for worse things to come?

Stretching the Tolerance in an Architectural Illiterate Society

Marking George Town

Window to the Past

The proposed George Town marker design was inspired by the traditional ‘5-Foot Way’ that functions very efficiently as urban connectors as well as public spaces. The idea is to use these arches as guiding apparatus to lead visitors to places of interests and framing major landmarks at the same time. The form of the arches was inspired by the ‘Cloud-Shaped’ openings that can be easily found on most of the façade of George Town’s shop houses.

Aesthetically Functional:
The intention is to not only consider the proposed design as merely markers but as urban sculptures as well. They are however ‘practical’ sculptures as they also double up as public furnitures to complement that state’s initiatives in making George Town a livable city. While fulfilling the function of markers and public amenities, these sculptures would also ensure that the existing heritage buildings remain as they are without any intervention onto their building fabric. Their external outlook would enhance the character of the buildings and streetscapes where they are located.

Flexibility:
By constructing the arches in 5 different sections for a single standard unit, the sculpture could be rearranged and twisted as situation requires. In addition, 2 standard units could be combined to form a larger unit at more spacious locations pointing at several landmarks in opposing directions at the same time. The ‘Cloud-Shaped’ arches which will be made of steel could be easily dismantled and relocated to elsewhere whenever such situation arises.

Colours:
The proposed markers come in several colours depending on where they are located. Their colours will follow the nearest landmark which they are located. For example, the colour of the arches will be blue when the marker is located near Cheong Fatt Tze mansion and white if placed in front of St. Georges Church.

With its distinctive colours and unique form that are inspired by the aesthetics of historic George Town, the proposed Window to the Past marker/sculpture would definitely enhance and add to the rich architectural quality of this World Heritage City.

Ko-Fu Zen

A Sad Day for Design Education

This morning the students and I sending off Ellison back to the US. He has been teaching design in Malaysia for more than a decade. This time around he won't be back for at least another 8 years. It is a loss to the education industry here in Penang at a time when it is so difficult to find dedicated and committed lecturers. The government has been talking about 'brain drain' of our human resource to foreign countries; today I witness this situation first hand. There are a lot of good and talented people in Penang but if the industry as a whole does not know how to treasure and reward them, more people are going to move elsewhere seeking better working environment.

At a time when most advanced countries are competing against each other for highly qualified people, isn't it time for Malaysia to be more serious in retaining existing talents and attracting new ones?

Power of Architecture - Temples of Angkor

Sunrise at Angkor Wat - The tranquility of the pond in front reflected and enhanced the serenity of this great building.

One would wonder how a building constructed more than 900 years ago could attract so much attention. People came from all corners of the world to witness this spectacular creation by the ancient Khmer civilization. This ancient masterpiece has successfully helped to kicked start the Cambodian economy and helping the livelihood of its citizens. Here, we witness the influence of architecture in fulfilling a noble social obligation which is much bigger than itself.

First light revealed the architectural details on the facade.

Portal to space beyond.

Staircase to Heaven - by making the ascend steep, verticality of the architecture is exagerrated; one constantly find him/herself looking up towards the sky.

Delicately done carvings on the walls depicting the Apsara dancers.

South Gate of Angkor Thom

Dramatic perspective.

The smiling faces of Bayon

All the steps leading up to the temples were very steep comparing to our modern day standard. I speculate on three possible reasons why it was done that way:

1) To exagerrate the grandiour of the building and the divinity of the king and gods by making its visitors humble; one has to physically climb and crawl up to reach the top.

2) By making the riser higher than they should be, verticality of the building could be emphasised to give the building a much taller impression.

3) To speed up contruction by having lesser steps reaching the top.

Architecture as mountains.

Face to face with an ancient civilization.

Architecture and Nature as One.

The framing of different volumetric spaces gives rise to the dramatic effect of the progression into the temple.

Wonderful architectural journey...........