Rare Earths

Rare earth elements are 17 chemical elements found in the Earth's crust. Despite their name, they are not necessarily rare, but rather dispersed and often not concentrated enough to be economically viable to extract. These elements have a wide range of uses, particularly in high-tech and clean energy applications. Neodymium and praseodymium are used in high-strength magnets found in wind turbines, electric vehicles, and smartphones. Europium and terbium are used in the production of energy-efficient lighting and te...

Rare earth elements are 17 chemical elements found in the Earth's crust. Despite their name, they are not necessarily rare, but rather dispersed and often not concentrated enough to be economically viable to extract.

These elements have a wide range of uses, particularly in high-tech and clean energy applications. Neodymium and praseodymium are used in high-strength magnets found in wind turbines, electric vehicles, and smartphones. Europium and terbium are used in the production of energy-efficient lighting and television screens.

Rare earths are typically extracted through open-pit or underground mining, followed by chemical processing steps to separate and purify individual elements. The process involves crushing the ore, separating it into a fine powder, and using chemical reactions to extract the rare earths. However, this process can be hazardous, producing toxic waste products that make rare earth mining and processing environmentally problematic.