What are Rare Earth Elements?
Rare Earth Elements (REE) are a set of 17 similar silvery soft heavy metals. They belong to the Lanthanide series of 15 elements (atomic number 57 to 71) along with Scandium and Yttrium. The 17 minerals showcase similar chemical properties. The other name for REE is Lanthanides.
Despite the name given to the mineral group, they are available in abundance. The isolation of the elements is difficult as they are hidden amongst one another. Practically the availability is thin or sparse due to the presence of trace impurities. The separation and isolation process of the elements requires tremendous amounts of the ore which contributes towards the REEs high price.
The REE are mainly available in bastnäsite, monazite, loparite and lateritic ion-adsorption clays. The application of the REE grew up after the mainstreaming of the isolation techniques.
The list of elements that are part of the Rare Earth Elements group are:
- Scandium (Atomic number – 21)
- Yttrium (Atomic number – 39)
- Lanthanum (Atomic number – 57)
- Cerium (Atomic number – 58)
- Praseodymium (Atomic number – 59)
- Neodymium (Atomic number -60)
- Promethium (Atomic number -61)
- Samarium (Atomic number -62)
- Europium (Atomic number – 63)
- Gadolinium (Atomic number – 64)
- Terbium (Atomic number – 65)
- Dysprosium (Atomic number – 66)
- Holmium (Atomic number – 67)
- Erbium (Atomic number – 68)
- Thulium (Atomic number – 69)
- Ytterbium (Atomic number – 70)
- Lutetium (Atomic number – 71)
Availability
China leads the world in terms of availability of REE. As of 2017, known world reserves of rare-earth minerals amounted to some 120 million metric tons of contained REO. China has the largest fraction (37 percent), followed by Brazil and Vietnam (18 percent each), Russia (15 percent), and the remaining countries (12 percent).
The requirement of REE in the electronics industry for their conduction and magnetic properties. With China possessing a vast majority of the REE mines, there is bound to be geopolitical tensions among the superpowers of the world. The consolidation of Chinese public enterprises dealing with Rare Earth Minerals into one group has further strengthened the dominance of China in the world market.
The REE mines spread in few countries like the US, South Africa among others had closed the mines during later part of the 20th century due to a variety of reasons. This allowed China to gain dominance in the REE space.
These countries are again looking to reopen these mines because of the huge demand the Rare Earth Elements have generated in the past few decades.
Utilization of Rare Earth Elements
The chemical and mechanical properties of REE make the group useful in a variety of applications. REEs, have unique magnetic and luminescent properties, which make them valuable in various industries.
The applications range from electronics like Hard Disc Drives (HDD), microphones, portable electronics, speakers, television displays and computer monitors to lasers, fertilizers, water treatment, medical applications and fiber optics. REEs are also used in the manufacture of glass, ceramic, batteries and various phosphors and pigments.
Because of the versatility of the REEs, the demand is constantly rising year on year. Despite the high price and the availability concentrated in few geographical regions, REEs have become a hot topic for many countries which are planning for becoming resilient and self-reliant.
How is India positioned in the REE market?
India has recently released a report recognizing 30 minerals as critical for its economical and national security. Since India is not part of the Mineral Security Partnership which is an alternative to the Chinese dominance in the production and export of Rare Earth Elements.
The 30 minerals include REE like Dysprosium and Samarium among others. In order to become Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) in crucial sectors such as electronics, telecommunications and other technologically advanced sectors.
A robust supply chain of these minerals is crucial for India and any geopolitical or macroeconomic issues should not be detrimental to the Indian industry. India is using its diplomatic channels to strengthen its case with countries such as Australia and US for technology and processing.
How recycling E-waste can help?
The recycling rate of REEs is extremely low owing to lack of proper recycling infrastructure required for the recycling process. It is also a known fact that recycling E-waste would reduce air pollution caused due to mining and extraction procedures used to mine minerals.
In 2023, National Geophysical Research Institute have found a deposits of REEs in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India. The production and consumption of the minerals from these deposits would still take a few years.
Until then depending majorly upon imports can be detrimental to the country because of geopolitical tensions. A greener alternative to dependency on imports can be the formal recycling of electronic and electrical devices.
The reutilization of REEs can help the country in an unprecedented way. A famous example of how recycling can bring back the natural resources back into the economy is of Attero. They are planning to expand their recycling operations to a scale that they would be able to meet over 15% of the world’s demand for Cobalt, Lithium, Graphite and Nickel.
RecyclEarth Foundation is doing its bit by consolidating E-waste from individual generators in North Karnataka and forwarding the E-waste to formal recyclers. It also conducts awareness sessions on E-waste in schools, colleges and organizations, thereby making sure the future generation of India is aware about the hazards of E-waste.
Read more: RecyclEarth Foundation honored by Prajavani