Many of you have probably heard about rare earth elements, the metals “more precious than gold,” which have contributed to China’s rapid economic growth. So, what are rare earth elements? Why are they so expensive? Let’s explore the fascinating world of rare earth elements in the article below.
What Are Rare Earth Elements?
Rare earth elements refer to a group of rare elements that are present in low concentrations in the Earth’s crust and are difficult to separate into individual elements.
Some of the rare earth elements have concentrations in the Earth’s crust that exceed those of silver and lead.
The rare earth elements group consists of 17 elements divided into two categories:
- Heavy group consisting of 10 elements: Dysprosium (Dy), Erbium (Er), Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), Holmium (Ho), Lutetium (Lu), Terbium (Tb), Thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb), Yttrium (Y).
- Light group consisting of 7 elements: Cerium (Ce), Lanthanum (La), Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), Promethium (Pm), Samarium (Sm), and Scandium (Sc).
There are over 10 minerals in the Earth’s crust that contain rare earth elements, with the main sources being the minerals BASTNAESITE (Ce, La, Y…), CO3(f,OH)3, and MONAZITE (Ce, La, Nd, Th, Y…) (PO4, SiO4)3.
Extraction of Rare Earth Elements
Countries with significant rare earth reserves include:
- China (27 million tons, accounting for 30.6% of the world’s total).
- United States (13 million tons, accounting for 14.70%).
- Australia (5.2 million tons).
- India (1.1 million tons)…
Extraction of rare earth elements requires advanced technological processes.
The four notable countries extracting rare earth elements are: China, India, Brazil, and Malaysia. China is the largest producer of rare earth elements in the world.
The largest consumers of rare earth elements are the United States, Japan, and China. The largest exporters of rare earth products are China, the United States, Japan, and Thailand. The largest importers of rare earth products are Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Demand for Rare Earth Elements
The demand for rare earth elements is increasing due to their essential role in new and innovative technologies being developed. New products requiring rare earth elements include high-tech devices such as smartphones, digital cameras, computer components, semiconductors, etc. Additionally, these elements are increasingly used in industries such as renewable energy technology, military equipment, glass production, and metallurgy.
The rising demand has put a strain on supply, raising concerns that the world may soon face a shortage of rare earth elements. For many years, since 2009, global demand for rare earth elements has been projected to exceed supply by 40,000 tons per year unless significant new sources are developed. In 2013, it was stated that the demand for rare earth elements would rise due to the European Union’s reliance on these elements.
Rare earth elements cannot be replaced by other elements, and they have a low recycling rate. Furthermore, due to increasing demand and low supply, the prices of rare earth elements are expected to rise in the future, prompting many countries to open rare earth mines. Currently, Australia is the second-largest supplier of rare earth metals in the world, accounting for 15% of global production, with two major projects: Nolans in central Australia and Mount Weld. Efforts are also ongoing to find alternative sources in Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Tanzania, Greenland, and the United States.
A rare earth mining site in Longnan, Jiangxi Province, China.
Steenkampskraal in South Africa, the world’s highest-quality rare earth and thorium mine, which closed in 1963, has resumed production. Other mines include the Bokan Mountain project in Alaska (USA) and the remote Hoidas Lake project in Northern Canada, which has the potential to supply approximately 10% of the total $1 billion in rare earth consumption in North America annually.
In the UK, Pensana has begun constructing a $195 million rare earth processing plant funded by the UK Government’s Automotive Transition Fund. The plant is tasked with processing ore from the Longonjo mine in Angola and other sources as they become available, aiming to produce 12,500 tons of individual rare earths, including 4,500 tons of rare earth magnet metals.
Uses of Rare Earth Elements
Rare earth elements are used extensively in high-tech industries such as food technology, healthcare, glass polishing, ceramics, computers, color television screens, lighting, environmentally friendly cars, magnets, batteries, petrochemical catalysts, rockets, and radar…
- Used to manufacture permanent magnets for generators
- Incorporated into fertilizers to enhance crop yield and resistance to pests
- Used to create magnets in magnetic separation technology
- Employed in termite and decay prevention to preserve historical artifacts
- Used to manufacture cathode lamps in television sets
- Serves as catalysts in petrochemical refining and environmental treatment technologies
- Used as superconducting materials
- Rare earth ions are also used as phosphorescent materials in optoelectronic applications
- Applied in laser technology
Note: Rare earth elements are highly toxic (many of them are radioactive). Therefore, improper extraction can lead to environmental pollution. Additionally, the extraction, separation, and processing of rare earth elements require very advanced technological processes… Hence, the extraction of rare earth elements must be thoroughly researched.
