rare earth elements like scandium

Exploitation at great expense

Europium, neodymium, scandium and cerium them in chemical periodic table of elements are called. Together with twelve other metals they belong to the group of "rare earths". These metals are really rare, with few exceptions not. They are scarce, mainly due to the throttled exports from China.

The minerals were discovered late 18th Century in Sweden. They came in and were rare minerals as oxides (oxygen compound, formerly called "Earth") was isolated. Hence the term "rare earths". The raw materials themselves are not rare, a few occur frequently even.

While the short-lived, radioactive element promethium in the earth's really rare, neodymium and cerium are more common. More difficult, however, is the promotion, which is associated with a high cost, because the metals are not found in large quantities.

Adverse edge products
In some cases, they are also by-products of other minerals. The company is planning about Green Country Minerals & Energy in Greenland, "rare earth" at an annual 20,000 tons per year as by-product of uranium.

Some of the metals are toxic even in part. The problem with the promotion is also incurring adverse edge products. For example, the rare earth metals are washed with acids from boreholes. What remains of toxic sludge.



From the laser to mobile phones
The elements of "rare earths" have unusual properties and apply for some special alloys and glasses as indispensable. In many key technologies they therefore play an important role. The spectrum ranges from their use batteries from mobile phones, lasers, flat panel displays to air weapons systems. For the production of hybrid cars, wind turbines and semiconductors, the raw materials are important.

While up in the 90s were also countries like the U.S. major suppliers for these metals, has been China, which possesses about one-third of the deposits, the main producer for the world's needs. Many companies in Western industrialized countries have been dropped out of production.