You’re wondering why I’m asking, why are rare earth metals important? After all, egg prices have tripled, & avocado prices have hit a 24-month high. What are rare earth elements anyway? If they’re so rare, what are some common uses for rare earth metals? Why should we care when we’re worried about a recession?
Let’s take a step back. What are rare earth elements? (REE)
WHAT ARE RARE EARTH ELEMENTS? (REE)
Rare earth elements (REE), rare earth metals (REM), & rare earth oxides (REO) are terms for 17 of the over 118 elements on the periodic table.
The REEs are the pink boxes on the table below, plus the two I circled in red.
RARE EARTH ELEMENTS AREN'T REALLY RARE
...because rare earth metals tend to occur together & are difficult to separate from one another.
The term rare earth elements or rare earth metals is somewhat misleading. What is rare?
REDHEADS! Natural redheads occur in 1-2% of our population. (Yes, I wanted to use this adorable photo of our boy below but this is a valid fact!)
Leucism is also rare. It is a condition in which part of an animal’s normal coloration is missing. It’s due to the lack of several kinds of pigment, not just melanin. (like in albinism)
LEUCISM VERSUS ALBINISM
The way to distinguish between leucism & albinism?
In albinism, eyes are pink. If you look at the tiger below, his eyes are black. Hence leucism.
BACK TO FACTS ABOUT RARE EARTH METALS
The takeaway here is that rare earth elements (REE) are also referred to as rare earth metals. (REM)
Rare Earth Metals are found in abundance across our planet. REM are simply more expensive to mine than most metals.
Okay, now we know what rare earth metals are. And that I interchange the terms rare earth metals & rare earth elements with reckless abandon.
What is the big deal? Why are rare earth metals important?
WHY ARE RARE EARTH METALS IMPORTANT?
Rare earth metals are important because of their applications!
COMMON USES FOR RARE EARTH METALS
MORE COMMON USES FOR RARE EARTH METALS!
Now you know the answer to the question: why are rare earth metals important.
I only grazed the surface of some common uses for rare earth metals.
REM or REE –whichever term you prefer, direct our economy the way Stone Age flint was valuable during the Neolithic Era, or Aztecs once considered cacao beans more valuable than gold.
With all this importance of rare earth metals, coupled w/ the fact that rare earth elements are difficult & expensive to mine, will the world run out of rare earth metals?
Where do we mine our REEs anyway?
What about the horrible term we’ve all come to know, ‘supply chain?’
And where did I get that fantastic dessert above?
WILL THE WORLD RUN OUT OF RARE EARTH METALS?
The United States has designated rare earth metals as 'critical materials'
'Critical Materials' are key components of products that are essential to the economic or national security of the U.S., & are susceptible to supply chain disruption.
REE reportPresident Biden’s goal is for half of all new cars sold by 2030 to be electric.
But given the shortage of REE, that's like asking Top Chef contestants to make a main dish w/ two tennis balls and a peanut.
The demand for these critical materials is set to skyrocket by 400-600 percent over the next several decades!
For materials used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, demand will increase by even more—as much as 4,000 percent.
SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS
CHALLENGES OF EXTRACTING OUR OWN REM
Roasting is a common process used to extract REE.
SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS FOR RARE EARTH METALS (Potential)
Science to the rescue! (of course.)
Let’s start with acid mine drainage.
How about a protein-based sensor to thwart supply chain issues so we won’t run out of rare earth metals?
Let’s look at ion exchange! A chemical process called ion exchange could extract REEs in a safer manner than other extraction methods.
How about using salmon semen?
You read that correctly.
Of course, that is not a salmon in the next pic. I admire the enthusiasm, but let’s back away from the lizard!
If we need to compete for salmon with bears, the world may run out of rare earth metals after all!
We have no intention of taking salmon from bears! Or semen from salmon!
WILL THE WORLD RUN OUT OF RARE EARTH METALS?
WHY ARE RARE EARTH METALS IMPORTANT?
We rely on rare-earth elements to produce many necessary items, including computers, smartphones, rechargeable batteries, electric vehicles, magnets, and chemical catalysts, not to mention medications, green technologies, and manufacturing equipment.
And this demand will only grow!
It’s time to build our own resilient supply chains because rare earth metals are important to every aspect of our lives!
Kudos to all the amazing researchers trying to devise ways to negate our REM supply chain issues and do so using environmentally friendly methods.
Professionals with knowledge of the REE industry are in critically short supply! Tell your kids, nieces, nephews, or grandkids to check into environmental science as a career!
I admit that I would not want to live without my smartphone. And now that my kids bought me an apple watch, I’m even more tied to tech and closing those activity rings, colored with rare earth metals!
Plus, how could I research and write these amazing blog posts without rare earth metals?
If you have an apple watch and want to share your work-outs with me, I’m game! I have 2 exercise friends & am hoping for more. Gotta love that peer pressure.
Do you think you’d want to live w/o tech?
EMBRACE TECH! JOIN US & WE'LL MAKE SENSE OF SCIENCE TOGETHER
Related
How To Harness the Power of the SunIn "Physics"
Science At Home : MagnetsIn "Science at Home : STEM"
Top 10 Astronomical Events for 2023In "Astronomy"
Wow… what educational post on rare earth metal. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.
I’m happy you think so! Thank you so much.
Great post! I love reading about these cool elements, though the supply chain issues are disquieting. I hope our scientists can come up w/ viable solutions! Thanks for raising awareness.
I hope so too! I’m glad you loved my post. Thanks so much, Chelsea!
As always, a really informative read, Sue. I love how you break things down and keep asking (and answering) questions. Although I feel I now know more about salmon semen than perhaps I needed to, haha!
I may have gotten a little sidetracked with that particular study! ha! Thanks so much, Lisa.
Nice article about something I knew absolutely nothing about. Turns out those rare earth metals are pretty important. Thanks, Sue. Always fantastic science posts.
I’m happy that you picked up a few fun facts! Thank you, Eva!
I’ve never thought about rare earth elements much, actually, I don’t think I ever have. What an in depth post you’ve created. I can’t believe materials for electric cars will increase by 4,000 percent!
I can’t believe it, either! Imagine all the charging ports we’ll need. No wonder the government wants solutions. Thank you for stopping by!
Wow, what a great post. I wouldn’t want to get between those bears, either. Thanks so much, I learned a ton about rare earth elements.
You’re so welcome! I took that video at Katmai in Alaska. I have great respect for bears after that trip. And for rare earth elements after researching this post. Thanks!
As with everybody else I knew nothing about rare earth elements. Great post. Keep it up. Always love the pictures of the kids and Louie.
I’m glad that you found my post edifying! Louie doesn’t always like posing but he’s the most photogenic! Thanks so much.
Wow – I didn’t realize we import 100 percent of these rare metals! Lots to learn (as always) in this post!
That fact was the one that floored me, too! I’m happy that you were equally surprised. Thanks for stopping by, Eileen!
I hadn’t given rare earth metals much thought before. But your post got me thinking, is there a rare earth metal that just isn’t any better than any regular that already exists?
Intriguing question! I think this has to do with specific properties of each of these metals. Rare earths have unique magnetic, electrochemical and luminescent properties and are grouped in that row on the periodic table because of their properties. The periodic table is actually brilliant in that the elements — metal and non metal–are grouped not only by atomic weight but properties. The rare earths make up that row, also called the lanthanide series, going from atomic numbers 57 to 71.
The rare earths are all natural, not man made, and not necessarily better or worse than metals such as iron or aluminum. Rare earths just have the properties that make our tech work. If you wanted a sword, Iridium would be useless. But our demand for touch screens requires iridium. Here’s a niche property; the REE Gadolinium exhibits ‘high neutron cross-section.’ So GD is used to target tumors in neutron therapy. (Link added) Essentially a beam of particles including gadolinium blasts the tumor cells. I’m sure people in the 12th C didn’t care about this, but anyone with a salivary tumor does! Thanks for bringing this up!
Great post thanks for sharing! Siobhan ♡ | Vegan Babe Life
You’re welcome! Thanks for reading my post.
This was such an informative post! I didn’t know much about rare earth metals so this was really interesting to read – I didn’t know so many things used them! Hopefully we can find a way to make those more resilient supply chains! Thank you so much for sharing.
I’m eager for our researchers to take their REM extraction ideas to a large scale. Companies like GM are all in for obvious reasons! But this will help our environment too. Thank you!
This post is so interesting! Thanks for taking the time to share all of this information! I learned so much from this
You’re welcome! And thank you for taking the time to read my post and reply!
I had no idea that rare earth metals played such a big role in smartphones and I was quite surprised to see that touchscreens are made possible by indium, so I loved learning something new whilst reading this article!
The applications of rare earths seem endless to me. It was difficult to choose among the many examples. Thank you, Jaya!
This is such an informative read! Thanks so much for sharing all this. I learned a lot from this post!
I’m so happy that you did! Thank you.
This is such a interesting post, thank you so much for sharing it with us. I’ve defiantly learnt a lot and appreciate you educating us more on this matter. Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
I’m gratified that you learned a lot and found my post interesting! With the plethora of cool facts and research about rare earth metals, I had trouble choosing what to include! Thanks, Elle!
Wow! I learned so much from this post! Love all the interactive features, as well!
Crystal | http://www.amazingbaby.app
I’m happy that you learned a lot. I enjoy my page builder, too so I appreciate you saying so. Thank you so much!
This is so interesting. I can’t say I’ve looked at a periodic table since school!
Corinne x
https://skinnedcartree.com
Periodic table perusal may not be in your everyday activities, but I think it helps to visualize these nebulous metals w/ their strange names and properties! Thanks, Corinne.
Amazing post, I love it! I’ve been very interested in rare minerals as well as crystals so this was very informative for me. Thank you so much for sharing xx Penny / http://www.whatdidshetype.com
I am endlessly intrigued with rare earths, their properties & applications! I’m glad you mentioned crystals because my curiosity is piqued of late! The history behind crystals is mystifying. Thank you so much, Penny!
Wow!! Great post. Thank you for sharing:)
I love a wow in my comments! Thank you so much!
This is a really interesting post Susan, I love this information and I didn’t realise rare earth metals were so important. Thank you for sharing x
It is curious how materials like rare earth metals pass almost unnoticed in the news. Thanks for stopping by, Eleanor!
That’s very true. Fascinating stuff x
xx!
I like your writing style of answering in advance any FAQ! I agree that metals are a precious resource as is most other things on this planet of ours – yet another reason we need to take care of it. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent point, Jodie! We do need to take care of our planet. Thank you for the compliment about my writing, and for stopping by!
Thank you for sharing such an informative post in such an accessible and entertaining way!
You’re welcome! Thank you for stopping by!
Great post! I love reading about these cool elements, though the supply chain issues are disquieting. I hope our scientists can come up w/ viable solutions! Thanks for raising awareness.
I hope so too. Right after I published this post, rare earth elements made the news again with shortages. Fingers crossed that funding filters more towards science. Thanks!
Is Otrivine Nasal Spray Addictive?
Here’s an article that explains the difference between addition and dependence on nasal sprays. https://www.healthline.com/health/nasal-spray-addiction