Dobrescu, Emilian M. (2025), Geopolitical Use of Rare Earth Elements, Intelligence Info, 4:4, 44-50, https://www.intelligenceinfo.org/geopolitical-use-of-rare-earth-elements/

Abstract

Specialists have been studying rare earth elements for about three decades because of their unusual properties which highly recommend their use in the economic and scientific environment. Rare Earth Elements are used to produce wind generators, electronic parts and assemblies, metal separators, motors, clutches and other auto parts, lifting and extraction devices. Very few people know that REE are used to produce components for lasers, mobile phones, computers, iPods, sonars, LCDs, washing machines, hybrid cars, digital cameras, headphones, batteries for electric vehicles, missile guidance systems, smart bombs and space crafts.

Keywords: rare earth, rare earth elements, Dysprosium, Terbium, Neodymium, Lanthanum, Gadolinium, Erbium, Ytterbium

Utilizarea geopolitică a pământurilor rare

Rezumat

Specialiștii studiază pământurile rare de aproximativ trei decenii datorită proprietăților lor neobișnuite, care recomandă cu tărie utilizarea lor în mediul economic și științific. Pământurile rare sunt utilizate pentru a produce generatoare eoliene, piese și ansambluri electronice, separatoare de metale, motoare, ambreiaje și alte piese auto, dispozitive de ridicare și extracție. Foarte puțini oameni știu că Pământurile Rare sunt utilizate pentru a produce componente pentru lasere, telefoane mobile, computere, iPod-uri, sonare, LCD-uri, mașini de spălat, mașini hibride, camere digitale, căști, baterii pentru vehicule electrice, sisteme de ghidare a rachetelor, bombe inteligente și nave spațiale.

Cuvinte cheie: pământuri rare, disprosiu, terbiu, neodim, lantan, gadoliniu, erbiu, yterbiu

INTELLIGENCE INFO, Volumul 4, Numărul 4, Decembrie 2025, pp. 44-50
ISSN 2821 – 8159, ISSN – L 2821 – 8159
URL: https://www.intelligenceinfo.org/geopolitical-use-of-rare-earth-elements/
© 2025 Emilian M. DOBRESCU. Responsabilitatea conținutului, interpretărilor și opiniilor exprimate revine exclusiv autorilor.

Geopolitical Use of Rare Earth Elements

Emilian M. DOBRESCU[1]
dobrescu@acad.ro

[1] Membru titular al Academiei Oamenilor de Știință

Introduction

Specialists have been studying rare earth elements for about three decades because of their unusual properties which highly recommend their use in the economic and scientific environment. Rare Earth Elements (REE) are used to produce wind generators, electronic parts and assemblies, metal separators, motors, clutches and other auto parts, lifting and extraction devices.

Very few people know that REE are used to produce components for lasers, mobile phones, computers, iPods, sonars, LCDs, washing machines, hybrid cars, digital cameras, headphones, batteries for electric vehicles, missile guidance systems, smart bombs and space crafts.

Rare Earth Elements

Despite the name “rare earth elements” they are not that rare, but are usually found in small volumes spread on large areas and require complicated post-processing, which makes most existing deposits expensive to use[1]. The economy of the production and use of rare earth elements and the sophisticated technology based on them is called the economy of rare earth elements and is absolutely vital to modern civilization.

Inductive coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS) offers the possibility of measuring rare earths with excellent accuracy that can’t be achieved by any other method. In addition, ICP-MS is capable of measuring isotopic reports. REE and isotopic reports represent a real fingerprint and provide information about pollutant sources in the environment.

In the long run, these chemical elements are very rare and there are huge financial and environmental costs involved in the extraction and production process. In the next 5-10 years, 97 percent of the global production of REE will belong to China. However, China, which is already reluctant to exporting, wants electronic manufacturers to come and produce in China and only then to have access to the Chinese REMs, indispensables to the electronic industry today[2].

Annual global consumption of rare earth elements, expressed in oxides, was estimated at 25.000 tons per year at the beginning of the last decade, the first of the 21st century. Early this decade the current global consumption was estimated at 40.000 tons, although the real demand is three times bigger and the potential demand for 2013 is 5 times higher. The demand for REE in 2012 was about 120.000 tones.

Rare earth metals have unique properties that make them useful in many applications and their use increased at the end of the 20th century. Neodymium, dysprosium and samarium are used to manufacture compact magnets for the synchronous electric motors. Yttrium trioxide (Y2O3) is utilized in metal alloys to enhance their corrosion and high temperature resistance. Rare earth oxides are used as pigments, particularly red, for example, to replace chromium oxide and also for their fluorescent properties, especially in neon discharge lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, the nets for the gas lamps for camping and recently in the technology of various lasers.

The combination of rare earth elements are used as mixtures of rare metals called “mischmetal”, generally rich in ceric soils. Due to its properties, a large part of cerium production is incorporated into alloys used to produce lighter stones. It is also used as a catalyst to absorb hydrogen (as a tank). The normal bulb glass has in its composition, as pigment, terbium which is a rare earth.

The world today consumes only a small amount of rare earth metals – about 130.000 tons per year, a bit less over 10 percent of the products made by copper oxides. Economic analysts expect that global trade with rare earth metals will reach $3 billion by 2014 from about $2 billion in 2009.

Rare earth elements have low worth in their natural state, most of their value being added after the refining process.[3]

The main uses of REE are:

Dysprosium[4] (has a silky, silvery appearance. 90 percent of this rare earth is extracted in China through a laborious and expensive process):

Magnets for hybrid engines (gas/electricity). The use of dysprosium makes these engines 90 percent lighter.

Lasers and computer hard drives

Terbium

Increases the efficiency of neon tubes by 80%;

Neodymium

Permanent magnets for the electric motors

Lanthanum

Hydrogen storage

Praseodymium

Lasers and ceramics

Gadolinium

Computer memory

Erbium

Manufacturing of vanadium-steel alloy

Ytterbium

Infrared lasers

REE represent an important strategic resource. When we say that, we don’t just mean the “traditional” applications based on rare earths for more than 150 years such as catalysis for oil refining into gasoline and medical radiography etc. But in addition, modern procedures based on rare earth elements including:

• Catalysis of car fumes based on cerium which removes the particles produced during the diesel combustion.
• Polarization of flat or luminescent displays, using terbium to manufacture luminescent tubes or electroluminescent diodes (LEDs) or plasma displays, LCDs and flat panel displays.

More technologies based on rare earth elements are being developed: yttrium based superconductors and magnetic refrigeration based on gadolinium.

By increasing the production of electric motors based on permanent magnets made of terbium-dysprosium or neodymium, large industrial applications based on REMs have an environmental beneficial effect by^:

• building hybrid electric vehicles
• electric generators for offshore wind turbines. The sea environment is highly corrosive. The structure of a wind turbine of 3 megawatts can contain 600 kg of neodymium which gives better functioning and maintenance indicators under these rough conditions. Wind turbines use two types of neodymium for their powerful permanent magnets.

Other components used in most modern cars require small amounts of rare earth metal as europium, yttrium, cerium, zirconium, terbium, praseodymium and dysprosium.

On the other hand, while the global need for rare earth elements is increasing, about 10 percent each year, China reduced to zero the export quotas in 2010. Such a development has alarmed the industrial giants of the world: The U.S. imports from China REE worth over $ 1 billion annually. The high tech technologies of Japan and the European Union are also dependent on the rare earth elements from China. New systems and factories able to handle the extraction and separation of REMs may become active in less than 4 to10 years.

Although the prices of these minerals have increased in recent years, REMs production is still less profitable than copper or iron. Cerium is a precious ingredient in enamels and glass lenses; europium is used in the production of displays for TVs and other screens. The military industry is based on the rare earth elements which are important for lasers, missiles, radar systems and other military technologies. It is anticipated that China’s demand for REE will exceed its capabilities of supply by 2015.

The Americans are taking their steps in this field. The American company Molycorp Minerals bought a new mine at the Mountain Pass and Avalon Rare Metals started to organize the conditions to process large REE deposit in the Northwest Territories of Canada.

In 2010 there were only two future rare earth elements mining projects outside China: Mountain Pass in California and Mount Wells in Australia. China argues that it needs the REE it produces for its own developing industries. In 2010, China consumed about 60 percent of its own production. China’s efforts to bring at surface and separate rare earth metals are notable. To better exploit its underground wealth, China also wants to produce economic goods which incorporate these REE and it should develop its economy by creating 300 million jobs by November 2020.

The Western governments are worried about the Chinese monopoly exerted on REE, due to the fact that REMs are being used to build missile systems. Dysprosium, for example, allows missiles to operate in extreme conditions. The U.S. Army doesn’t want to buy it on the open market. The U.S. needs a guaranteed supply and this has become a problem. If China were the only place on earth to have rare earth metals, this could lead to a planetary war. Fortunately, there are other reserves of REE and the welfare states made sure that they have reserves in this regard.

In this context, China is building slowly but surely her planetary domination, knowing the problem it is creating for the western world.

In recent years, the Chinese government got all mines and refineries dealing with REE under the umbrella of Boatau Steel, a state owned company in order to easier control the prices.

The minerals found in the rare earth elements are the key to the development and manufacturing of essential components in the field of clean energy technology, automotive and electronic industries. They are essential for almost all environmentally friendly technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels and hybrid engines.

The Chinese Summit on Rare Earth Elements

In order to promote the industry, the science and the technology of REE, China has been organizing since 2005 a Summit on rare earth elements through The Chinese Society for Rare Earths. The 2010 meeting was held between 2-6 August, in Beijing, under the name of The International Conference on Development and Application of Rare Earth Metals. The theme of the Conference was “China’s policy on the industry of rare earths and the world economy of rare earth elements”. The event was aimed at building a platform that ensures a better understanding of the industrial policies on REE in China and worldwide for the companies in the field. It was an occasion to exchange ideas on the problems of the global REE resources, production, environment and marketing, in order to help promote this industry at a global scale.

The Forum focused on the impact that China’s policy on REE industry has on dependent industries, the relationship between new renewable energy industry and REE, the current state and trends of REMs new materials and REE industry influence on the environment etc. Conference website: http://www.cs- re.org.cn /asc/.

The invitees at this summit were leaders in governance, entrepreneurs in the field of production of REE, users and traders of REE, experts and scientists from all over the world.

The Chinese Society for Rare Earth Elements (CSRE)

Founded in 1980, CSRE is an organization with a scientific and technological research purpose regarding REE. It has as members several thousands of registered experts, being the largest academic community in the field of rare earth elements in the world.

CSRE gives the researchers the chance to exchange ideas about their work, to propose scientific and technological plans in the field of REE and plans for research and development in the industry of REE.

Notes

[1] ***, Avatar pe Terra: pământurile rare sunt seva civilizaţiei, on www.descopera. ro, 16th of March 2010

[2] Adrian Buzatu, Tehnologiile moderne au nevoie de pământuri rare, iar ele sunt … rare, URL: www.stiintaazi.ro, 21st of March 2010

[3] After Charles Homans, Are rare earth elements actually rare?, in Foreign Policy, 15th of June 2010, URL: www.Foreign Policy, visited on the 19th of September 2010

[4] In Greek means “hard to get”.