Rare Earths Gold Blog

China Again Hints At A Reduction In Exports of Rare Earths Elements and Lithium

Posted on March 15, 2010. Filed under: Articles on Rare Earths, gold, rare earths | Tags: China, Dysprosium, Inner Mongolia, Lithium, Lutetium, Periodic Table, Rare earth element, Rare Earths Elements |

1. A Chinese politician has urged for a curb to be placed on the export of rare earths elements and lithium.
2. Hu’ercha, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and mayor of Inner Mongolia’s Baotou city, home to 75 percent of China’s rare earths reserve urged the country to work out policies to support the development of rare earths-related industries and set up a development fund to strengthen basic research on rare earths.
3. Though China supplies about 90 percent of the world’s rare earths, it has little say on international pricing due to inadequate industrial innovation and slow development of high tech products.
4. The rare earths elements are 17 elements on the bottom right hand corner of the Periodic Table with names like e.g. lutetium (Lu), dysprosium (Dy) terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), and yttrium (Y).
5. However commercial mining of the rare earths elements isn’t easy.  Firstly there is the environmental problem in that rare earth elements are normally found in conjunction with uranium deposits.  That tends to complicate mining especially for the heavy rare earths elements like disprosium and neodymium.
6. Secondly mining is very expensive and capital intensive.  Lastly, China dominates the rare earth elements mining as it produces 95% off the world’s rare earths elements.  China has built a stranglehold over the rare earths elements.
7. What are the rare earths elements used in?
8. Neodymium, a heavy rare earths element, is a super magnet used by the automotive industry in small electric motors, including brake systems, seat adjusters and car stereo speakers.
9. In fact, super magnets made of neodymium are nearly 10 times stronger than regular magnets! This is because the rare earths element’s do not heat up like ‘normal magnets’ and maintain their magnetism under extremely high temperatures. And this rare earths element’s ability to withstand extremely high temperatures makes it ideal for deep oil drilling. They’re also used in MRI’s and proved crucial in the miniaturization of laptop computers and audiovisual recreational equipment.
10. Without sufficient quantities of these rare earths element’s, production on these and hundreds of other products that we take for granted—such as iPhones, BlackBerries, computers, TVs and even missile guidance systems – could suddenly stop!
11. Unbelievably, companies and governments all over the world that rely on rare earths elements are just now becoming aware of these facts and a mad scramble is under way to gain access to the 5% of rare earths elements production not under China’s grasp.

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