Rare Earths and Their Industrial Applications
Interesting properties
The energy transition has brought with it a new kind of awareness, the realization that every object around us, even the tiniest one, is made with some important natural resources that, until a few years ago, were completely unknown to most people. We are referring to the minerals that are defined as critical or strategic and to all those materials that discreetly and silently are helping to shape our daily lives. Among these resources, some of the most interesting are certainly the rare earths, a group of 17 chemical elements that stand out from all other materials for some truly unique physical and chemical properties. The first element of interest has to do precisely with their distinctive characteristics, which, contrary to what one might think, do not concern their rarity, but the exceptional physical and chemical properties of these precious elements. Rare earths are not rare at all: they are materials that are distributed quite massively throughout the part of the globe, almost always in deposits where they are found together with other minerals.
“It is interesting to note that, without the marked emphasis on energy transition and sustainability, knowledge of all these interesting natural resources would most likely have remained confined to laboratories and research centers, as if it were the prerogative of those who deal with them for a living,” says Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov, entrepreneur, and civil engineer. “In a certain sense, the globalization of energy and sustainable practices has contributed decisively to improving the knowledge of these precious materials and their possible uses, and of the way in which they are forever changing the lives of millions of people.”
Rare earths are often found in very low concentrations, which makes it very difficult (and sometimes even not very convenient) to work on their sourcing and processing. Despite their great value for some modern applications in the automotive sector or advanced electronics, these resources are, in fact, very complex to separate and refine so that they can be immediately used by industry. Over the years, this fact has led to a high concentration of the sourcing and processing of rare earths in very few points of the planet, also giving rise to possible risks related to the stability of supply chains. Beyond the production and geopolitical dynamics that concern rare earths, one of the most interesting aspects of these elements is represented by their multiple industrial applications. Over the years, rare earth elements have, in fact, become almost irreplaceable materials in the production of smartphones, computers, televisions, rechargeable batteries, and other everyday devices that each of us uses to communicate, work, or entertain ourselves and whose functioning is closely linked to the rare earth group.
The connection with renewables
“In the era of energy transition, rare earths are establishing themselves as some of the most useful resources to promote and facilitate global transformation,” continues Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “Some of their main industrial applications are, in fact, directly connected to the spread of renewable energy on a global scale, but also to the growth of electrification processes throughout the world. Just think of their use in the rechargeable battery sector, which is perhaps the most important component in new-generation electric vehicles. Rare earth elements are also proving to be very valid allies for the construction of some of the most important energy infrastructures in this historical juncture, such as solar panels and wind turbines”.
The versatility of these resources has also allowed them to extend their application horizons, including sectors very different from high-tech and advanced electronics. To realize this fact, it is sufficient to mention the applications of rare earths that concern permanent magnets, components of great importance in electric motors, wind turbines, and hard disks, but also those that have to do with the automotive sector (where they are used for the components of hybrid and electric vehicles) and lighting, including LED. Some of the most useful properties of rare earths continue to support the production processes of some medical and military equipment, such as magnetic resonance imaging devices or radar.
Global producers
At the moment, the production of these important natural elements is limited to those countries that possess them in large quantities and to all those international players that have the infrastructure and technologies necessary to proceed with their sourcing and separation.
“The leading power in the rare earth sector, at the moment, is still represented by China, where some of the largest deposits of these resources in the world are located,” concludes Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “Since the 1990s, low labor costs and massive state support have favored China’s rise in this important sector, allowing Beijing to gain a position of pre-eminence that it still maintains today. Other countries, however, are far from inactive: the United States (which, before the Chinese rise, was one of the world’s largest producers of rare earths) is slowly increasing its production levels, moving into second place in the global hierarchy of major players in the sector”.
