Rare-Earth monopoly will break, so decrees the world

"Ren Limin, a worker at the Jinyuan Company's smelting workshop, pours the rare earth metal Lanthanum into a mould near the town of Damao, in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region October 31, 2010." (via Reuters & David Gray)

There are 17 "Rare-Earth" elements that are a critical component of today's advanced technology. Neodymium (60-Nd), for example, is used in making ceramic capacitors. Lanthanum (57-La)is used in camera lenses, batteries, hydrogen storage, and the cracking catalyst for oil refineries. Although these two and the other fifteen are plentiful around the world, most companies do not find the Earth-extraction to be a lucrative endeavor. China, on the other hand, has such cheap labor that they can pull the elements and price them cheaper than anyone else. Due to this, China produces 95% of the world's "Rare-Earth" supplies.

Baotou, inner Mongolia, China. Half of the world's supply of rare earth comes from the hills of this area. This is a toxic waste lake made from the processing of the elements. (via China's Red Door News)

A global monopoly has only brought China scrutiny around the world. Europe has joined Japan and the US in filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization over the issue as China was restricting the export of the materials. In fact, China is stockpiling 8 of the elements for their own use, no longer exporting at all. Due to the Rare-Earth elements becoming rarer, people are mobilizing to fill the void.

The Molycorp reopened the Mountain Pass mine, California, in 2010. Approximately 20 million tons of ore sit inside the mine, 8.24% of which are Rare-Earth oxides. Alkane Resources, Australia, plans to have a mine in operation by 2013. Japan is looking to rid electronics of components that use the materials. Their first step is Reducing the use of Dysprosium, used in magnets, by 30%. France's Rhodia group is exploring the recovery of the elements through the recycling process. Two factories in La Rochelle and Saint-Fons can produce 200 tons annually right now. Rock in Southern Afghanistan and a volcano near the Helmand province in Russia are also showing possibilities for mining.

Whichever way the world steers, their goal is unified, bring down the China monopoly on Rare-Earth supplies.

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