Rare earth metals – have you heard that name floated around in news headlines but never quite understood what all the fuss was about? Don‘t worry – you‘re not alone. Rare earths are mysterious materials that power our electric vehicles and electronics yet few grasp their importance…or the messy global politics and environmental harm tangled up in mining them.
This guide will get you up to speed on rare earth basics from A to Z. Beyond clarifying exactly what rare earths are, we‘ll unpack reasons why the EV industry depends heavily on these metals today. You‘ll also learn how one key country came to dominate world supply, using this power as geopolitical leverage. And we‘ll investigate the mounting ecological damage from harmful mining practices required to extract rare earth ores.
Equipped with this 360-degree understanding, you can better assess new moves by automakers, governments and miners to secure rare earth access long-term while developing cleaner alternatives for the future. So let‘s get informed!
A Primer – What Exactly Are Rare Earth Metals?
First things first – rare earth metals actually aren‘t rare. This common misconception stems from their tricky discovery in the late 18th century as oxidized compounds impossible to isolate using the era‘s chemical knowledge. The persistent label of "rare earths" stuck even as extraction techniques improved to unearth deposits globally.
So if abundant, why are rare earth metals special? It comes down to unique magnetic, conductive and luminescent qualities that allow technologies to become smaller, more efficient and more powerful. Their alloys with other metals form super strong magnets that hardly lose magnetism. No other elements can match such wizardry!
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The 17 Rare Earth Elements |
Scandium (Sc) |
The club counts 17 total members, all metallic elements either part of the lanthanide series or in similar outlying groups. You‘ll recognize some from the periodic table, but learning to list from memory isn‘t essential. Just appreciate their might!
Why China Dominates Supply
China controls over 60% of global rare earths production and 80% of what‘s used in the United States. How did we reach this level of China‘s supply monopoly? Behold clever tactics decades in the making…
It began in the early 1980s as leader Deng Xiaoping envisioned rare earths integral to Chinese economic independence. His strategy entailed ramping up rare earth mining big time while also driving prices artificially low worldwide by flooding the global market.
At $7/lb, US rare earth mining couldn‘t compete. By 2002, leading US miner Molycorp shuttered Mountain Pass operations in California, ceding almost total control to China. Within a few years China imposed strict export quotas to consolidate supply further. Simultaneously, Chinese manufacturers benefitted from discounted rare earth access driving expansion across electronics, renewables and EVs.
For opponents like Japan or the US, China can restrict rare earth exports or embargo them entirely to gain diplomatic leverage during disputes. These tactics deployed over 30+ years explain China‘s immense supply power today. Reversing this dominance? Not easily or soon. But concerns around China‘s potential chokehold are igniting renewed efforts by other nations to build out production and processing.
EV Sector Now Hooked on Rare Earths
Governments declaring plans to phase out gasoline cars over the next 10-15 years is forcing automakers to go all-in on EVs. Hundreds of new EV models from Ford, GM, BMW and others vie to seduce drivers. But here‘s what most consumers don‘t realize…
Nearly all electric vehicles depend heavily on rare earth metals! Specifically rare earths praseodymium and neodymium enable compact, powerful motors. Others aid battery chemistry. While not every gram of metal inside an EV is sourced from China, they all require rare earths during manufacturing.
As EV adoption accelerates globally, demand for associated rare earths is projected to soar upwards of 500% by 2050 per Adamas Intelligence forecasts. No wonder Tesla‘s Elon Musk when asked in 2020 to name the greatest EV supply chain risk answered "Well…rare earths meaning neon, lithium…" without hesitation! So let‘s examine exactly why rare earths are so indispensable.
Magnets Drive Electric Motors
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Most Demanded Rare Earths |
Neodymium (magnets) |
The permanent magnet powdered mixture containing neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium packed into each EV motor is what makes rotation possible. Nicknamed "super magnets", their special alignment creates persistent magnetic force so torque generated as electricity alternates through surrounding coils keeps the axle spinning round and round.
Rare earth permanent magnets thus enable whisper quiet, high-powered electric motors barely larger than a watermelon to cruise at highway speeds. Without them, far bulkier motors would be needed creating speed and interior space issues.
While some automakers now use induction motors without magnets, most industry experts argue magnetic torque capability still proves superior. Especially as dysprosium additions raise heat tolerance for sustained performance. Expect neodymium and praseodymium demand to soar over 300% by 2030 per McKinsey estimates.
Better Batteries Too
Rare earths assist within EV batteries as well. Remember Toyota‘s early nickel metal hydride packs loaded into the classic Prius? They held over 10 pounds of lanthanum alloyed with nickel, while newer editions pack cerium instead.
Most contemporary EVs utilize lithium ion batteries where rare earths play a subtler role. Still manufacturers mix in rare earth compounds seeking to eek out performance advantages. For example, some lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cathode chemistries incorporate rare earth nanophosphates like lanthanum to ease electron flow and stabilize longevity over thousands of charge cycles.
As alternatives to current lithium ion batteries are researched including solid state composites, rare earth inclusion shows promising results across prototypes. Basically rare earths serve an irreplaceable helper role enabling battery capacities great enough to ditch gas tanks for good!
The Dirty Side of Rare Earth Mining
We‘ve covered why rare earths are indispensable for green technologies like EVs, wind turbines and low energy lighting. Now it‘s time to explore the not-so-green aspects of securing this supply. Extracting and refining rare earth ores happens to be a terribly toxic process. Like painting over mold, ignoring the issue cannot continue indefinitely before public health and habitat stability reach crisis levels globally.
Health and Radioactivity Dangers
The biggest hazard stems from radioactivity present in rare earth deposits. The ores tend to contain dangerously high levels of uranium and thorium lethal to humans when inhaled or ingested through groundwater contamination. Studies confirm increased rates of respiratory illness and certain cancers in mining towns. In China, villages with endemic illness live alongside mines or refineries earning the dark label "cancer villages".
Leaks of sulfuric acid and other harsh solvents used in extraction also pose contamination nightmares for any nearby ecosystems. Entire river microclimates sustaining fisheries can transform overnight into acid baths uninhabitable for most organisms.
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Key Rare Earth Environmental Damage |
Radiation Exposure |
Without enforced limits and transparency around waste disposal, contamination events regularly impact lands and watersheds adjoining mining sites.
Wastelands and Wrecked Terrain
And then the physical scars inflicting the landscape itself must be considered. Surface mining operations can span dozens of square miles pockmarked by craters once ridge peaks teeming with vegetation and wildlife. Rain events erode exposed mining debris creating landslides destroying anything downstream.
In total, experts calculate one ton of rare earth oxide manufactured generates upwards of 60 cubic meters of acidified wastewater and 13 kg of radioactive residues requiring specialized longterm disposal. Properly managing this hazardous waste is expensive, providing incentive to cut corners especially within China‘s loosely regulated sector.
Teething Limits and Recycling Potential
The picture may seem dire, but newer mines overseas are demonstrating less environmentally damaging methods are possible. Automated drone oil sands mining in Canada points towards similar rare earth terrain restoration efforts. Some entrepreneurs have bold visions to eventually shift seabed mining if science proves deep ocean rare earth harvesting ecologically safer.
Recycling electronics and electromagnetic waste also shows real promise recovering substantial rare earths for reuse. Japan leads the charge on recycling programs given their high-tech manufacturing and dependence on imports.
Ultimately, coordinated global cooperation is essential establishing ethical rare earth mining guidelines. As the foundational building blocks underpinning our 21st century lives, reasonable rare earth sourcing policies with environmental priorities are overdue. The health of forthcoming generations may just depend on it!
Can EVs Ditch Rare Earth Reliance Long-Term?
We‘ve covered the unique benefits rare earth metals impart to EV performance as well as the messy human and ecological toll taken to extract enough global supply. A natural question arises… can EVs eliminate rare earth dependence in the coming years through redesigns or new nanomaterials?
Automakers anxiously hope so yet most industry experts argue rare earths likely remain critical long-term. Reasons stem from distinct electromagnetic behaviors rooted in atomic structure very hard to mimic with more abundant metals. Still, lowering per vehicle rare earth usage should happen thanks to smarter manufacturing.
And breakthroughs in nanotech and advanced magnetics could one day unlock novel motor and battery designsrivaling capabilities rare earths bring to the table. Labs worldwide are rushing R&D investment exploring substitutes including silicon carbide composites, dysprosium-free MnAl magnets and alternative battery cathode materials.
Until then, expect recycling and total demand management to take priority easing supply pressures. In any case, EVs appear here to stay with or without rare earths!
So in summary, while often shrouded by mystery, rare earth metals in fact enable much of the convenience we take for granted in digitally-connected modern living. And societies are only becoming more dependent by the day on rare earths powering sustainable human progress. Yet serious ethical and environmental reform is urgently needed around their life cycle. Through shared responsibility between miners, manufacturers and consumers, rare earth impacts can hopefully lessen over time.
