Rare earth metals like europium provide red hues in TV screens while heavy REEs such as dysprosium, yttrium and praseodymium are used for green energy technologies - these exotically named elements are essential elements to modern life.
China dominates the supply of rare earths globally and is working hard to maintain control of this resource.
Rare earth elements are vital components in many high-tech products, such as cellphones, LED lights, computers and automobiles. Furthermore, rare earth elements play a pivotal role in our efforts to combat climate change and develop clean energy technologies - lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese are important for battery production and renewable electricity systems, while rare earth elements like neodymium and dysprosium make permanent magnets that power wind turbines, electric vehicles (EVs) and oil refinery equipment.
These 17 elements, divided into "light" and "heavy" rare earths according to their atomic weights, exist globally in natural deposits; however, extracting, processing and refining them poses numerous technical difficulties.
Heavy rare earths, which are more concentrated than lighter rare earths, are particularly difficult to locate and process. Elements like europium, terbium and dysprosium possess unique fluorescent, conductive and magnetic properties which make them highly sought-after applications such as chemical catalysts that speed or slow the rate of chemical reactions; or used in nuclear reactors as sources of helium production.
Rare earths are widely employed for both commercial and national security applications. Rare earths play an essential part in various defense programs such as the US Navy's new destroyer LCS designed to replace older warships while continuing global fleet support through 2040.
As demand for rare earths increases, the US has taken steps to regain its place as a supplier by developing domestic capacity. Companies like MP Materials and Lynas are creating facilities to separate rare earth oxides and refine them into finished products suitable for modern technology manufacturing.
Sustainable production demands collaboration between private industry and government. Mining and refining rare earths creates toxic waste that contaminates air, soil and water supplies; their separation and purification methods are both energy intensive and hazardous to human health.
Furthermore, minerals are found in various geological formations and must be extracted in such a way as not to damage the environment or local communities. Success of such initiatives relies on consumers and manufacturers being willing to pay a premium for environmentally sustainable production methods.
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As more high-tech products rely on rare earth elements, it's vital that we understand where and how these elements come from. Rare earths are an unusual group of 17 elements with fluorescent, magnetic, and conductive properties; they're used in everything from televisions and rechargeable batteries to wind turbines and automobile motors - as well as being essential in industrial processes like metalizing wood, producing lasers, or manufacturing certain types of steel.
Rare earth elements are relatively plentiful on Earth's crust despite being rare; however, unlike more easily separable metals like iron, rare earths are difficult to separate from each other - making their mining costly and tilting the power balance in this industry towards China who control most of their global supply.
China has long used government support, research and development programs, training programs and inexpensive labor to become the global leader in rare earth production. Today, its mines and processing facilities account for more than 97% of rare earth minerals worldwide; this has caused some to fear that China may use these minerals as political leverage against the United States in trade negotiations; however many experts maintain that global markets would still exist even if China stopped exporting these minerals entirely.
Other potential sources of rare earths include apatite, cheralite, eudialyte, loparite and phosphorites as well as secondary monazite deposits, spent uranium solutions and xenotime; although most of these resources remain untapped and it may be cost prohibitive to access them.
At present, mining neodymium and dysprosium from permanent magnets is currently the best way to produce sustainable and socially fair production of these essential elements. Researchers are developing chemical processes that selectively dissolve one rare earth element while leaving others solid; eventually these could replace traditional mining techniques; but until then sustainable and socially fair production must be realized by companies and consumers willing to pay premium prices for these essential resources.
At one time, rare earth elements were supplied solely by a few countries - with Molycorp operating its Mountain Pass mine in California being among them - before China overtook with 75% of known reserves and more than double global production capacity.
Rare earth elements (REEs) are so-called because they are rare to come by naturally and hard to isolate from one another and other elements, requiring energy-intensive extraction processes that create significant pollution; additionally, their chemical properties make purification even harder than usual.
Issues surrounding global supply have made it risky for any single country to control global supplies of key materials vital to developing high-tech products. If one nation suddenly stops exporting something, prices can soar as it takes time for alternative sources to emerge.
In 2010, this became a serious issue when China restricted REE exports in order to keep enough in inventory for domestic manufacturing - leading to price spikes as consumers sought to stockpile this essential material. Japan, United States and European Union all lodged formal complaints against this policy with the World Trade Organization; ultimately they issued an advisory ruling declaring China could not hoard rare earths for geopolitical gain.
This decision forced the world to look for new sources of REEs. While countries such as the US, Australia, Vietnam and Russia possess some reserves of REEs, these nations currently rely heavily on China for processing and refining these raw materials - the latter having developed its rare earth processing capacity significantly since this ruling took place. China now controls almost the entirety of this market.
Sustainable and socially equitable production of these essential elements depends on manufacturers, consumers, and governments being willing to pay more for materials that have been ethically produced. Therefore, mechanisms both inside and outside government must be put in place in order to implement necessary changes.
Rare earth metals are actually far more prevalent than they're often given credit for. Comprised of 17 elements - 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium -- these 17 substances exist naturally throughout the globe in various deposits; however, extracting them requires complex technical solutions and environmental considerations for extraction to take place successfully.
Light rare earths such as praseodymium and neodymium are essential to magnets used in products ranging from computer chips to medical imaging equipment, while heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium play a vital role in jet engines and defense technology.
Geopolitics, environmental concerns and technical difficulties have combined to make rare earths harder to source and produce in recent years than usual. China's control over Bayan Obo has altered supply chains and pricing structures in their favor; substitute materials may exist but their performance doesn't match up or they are unavailable, which hinders reliability for high-tech devices and drives up energy costs for consumers.
As demand for clean energy increases, so too does its dependence on rare earths. Wind turbines rely heavily on rare earth magnets for power generation while the growing transition of combustion-engine cars to electric vehicles has driven demand for rare earth batteries.
However, new mining sites cannot open quickly enough to meet demand. It often takes mining companies several years to invest in projects, secure the necessary permits, and begin operations - and even then it may take even longer before production reaches full capacity.
Once the supply of a crucial resource begins to decline, competition for it intensifies - leading to higher prices as mining companies seek ways to compete and governments impose restrictions on exports.
The Trump administration has taken several steps to restore America's role as the leading provider of rare earths and other minerals used in battery production, solar panel production and other renewable energy systems. These measures extend well beyond his two trillion infrastructure plan: such measures include an executive order reviewing domestic production gaps; creating a research center at DOE; and funding a $30 million initiative dedicated to finding ways to secure our domestic supplies of these essential materials.
The Increasing Importance of Rare Earth Metals in the Tech Industry