Modern civilization is built on specific metals that most people know little about. They power gadgets and medicine, but behind the scenes of technological progress lies a complex geopolitics.
Why have these metals become the foundation of the technological future and what secrets do they hide?
Rare earth elements are mentioned in the news almost as often as oil these days. The world’s media is analyzing new partnerships for their extraction, warning of possible shortages and discussing China’s role in this market. Researcher Julie Klinger from the University of Wisconsin explains that the term rare earth elements usually refers to a whole group of 17 chemical elements. These include scandium, yttrium, as well as a family of 15 lanthanides – from lanthanum with atomic number 57 to lutetium with number 71, writes 24 Kanal.
These substances have unique magnetic, conductive, and optical properties, which is why they are used as special coatings or additives in alloys, glass, and other materials that are critical to modern engineering.
The range of their applications is impressive – from jet engines and LED lamps to fiber optic cables, lasers and complex military systems. Some technologies would simply be impossible to create without these elements. For example, neodymium and praseodymium allow you to create super-strong magnets, thanks to which smartphones and computers have been miniaturized. These same magnets ensure the operation of high-speed trains and MRI machines.
Interestingly, these metals can even be found in regular car seat belts. This is not always due to special engineering requirements. As Klinger notes, when developing the belt locking mechanism, engineers simply used the magnets that were available in warehouses at the time.
How rare are they really?
Despite their name, these elements are not actually rare, Tech Xplore notes. The term dates back to the 18th century, when yttrium was first discovered by a Swedish miner. At the time, these substances were considered a curiosity, but today they are known to be scattered throughout the globe. In terms of their prevalence in the Earth's crust, the most commonly used of them are not inferior to copper or lead.
The problem is not their quantity, but the difficulty of mining them. The geological conditions in which these metals are concentrated on a large scale are often accompanied by the accumulation of radioactive materials. This significantly increases the cost of safe mining and creates environmental risks.
At the same time, these elements remain relatively cheap compared to precious metals such as gold or platinum. China, which holds about 30 percent of the world's reserves, sometimes does not even extract half of the resources it finds from the rock because current market prices do not cover the costs of fully refining them.
Why do we all think that?
The perception of the extreme rarity of these resources is partly reinforced by popular culture. After the release of the 2009 film Avatar, in which people fought over the fictional metal anobtanium, a diplomatic conflict broke out in the real world between China and Japan. Beijing temporarily restricted Tokyo's access to rare earth supplies.
Journalists began to draw parallels with cinema, calling these resources real-life “anobtanium.” Although the embargo lasted less than the film remained the box office leader, the myth of a critical shortage was firmly rooted in the mass consciousness.
Market leaders
Today, China dominates the market not only because of its large reserves, but also because of its well-developed infrastructure and experience in processing raw materials. It is in the intermediate stages of transforming rock into technological components that Beijing has the greatest advantage.
While we often hear recently about supply restrictions being used as a tool to pressure the US and other countries at odds with China, a complete halt to supplies is unlikely, experts say. Trade ties are important to all sides, and sellers in China are not interested in prolonged trade wars that could hurt their businesses.
Where to look for a way out of the conflict
Recycling could be a promising solution for countries like the United States, the New York Times reports. Studies show that a significant portion of domestic demand for these minerals could be met by recovering elements from waste from old and operating mines. Cleaning up abandoned industrial sites could turn ordinary trash into real treasures.
This will allow for a transition to a circular economy, while developing technologies to combat climate change and protecting environmentally sensitive regions.