BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

RARE EARTH MINING TECHNOLOGY

Mining rare earth has long been considered a dirty business, as it can lead to water and soil pollution, but a new technology developed by Chinese scientists may reverse the trend, offering a greener alternative for the industry.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry proposed a new approach in the journal Nature Sustainability earlier this month, showing that employing electrokinetic mining techniques to extract rare earth elements from weathering crusts can be both clean and economical.

SELF-DRIVING EXPRESSWAYS

Shanghai officially opened the first batch of expressways for autonomous driving, according to the city’s transport commission.

A 21.5 km road section on the G1503 ring expressway and a 19.5 km section on the G2 Beijing-Shanghai expressway have been designated for self-driving vehicles, the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission said at a forum on intelligent transportation held Monday.

MANUFACTURING INNOVATION CENTERS

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced Monday that it approved the establishment of three new national manufacturing innovation centers.

The innovation centers, backed by research or tech firms in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Sichuan provinces, will focus on graphene, virtual reality, and ultra-high-definition video industries, respectively, said the ministry.