Many
people do not understand the meaning of rare earth metals. To them this is same
as precious metals like gold, silver and platinum and so on. But it is not so.
There are 17 chemical elements that make up total rare earth metals. If you
take a look at the Periodic Table, the entire Lanthanide series along with
yttrium and scandium make up the rare earth elements. Usually all these
elements have similar chemical properties and features and this is the reason
that they are clubbed together.
Uses of Rare Earth Metals
Since
the past few years, there have been great demands of rare earth metals in
various industries. In fact many of the devices we use on regular basis contain
these metals in some form or the other. For instance, they are widely used in
rechargeable batteries, computer memory, cell phones, fluorescent lighting,
magnets, DVDs, catalytic convertor and so on. Rechargeable batteries use Terres Rares metals extensively as they are needed in many places. Almost all
portable electronic devices require such batteries including cameras, readers, and
portable computers and so on. Apart from this, these metals are also used in
critical defense equipment like precision guided weapons, night-vision
goggles, GPS equipment etc.
Finding These Rare Metals
As
per Métaux Critiques, China is the leading
producer of rare metals since 1990s. With increasing demands of Terres Rares metals, the country is
producing more volume of such metals. These metals were sold at comparatively
low rates to the whole world. Mines in other parts of the world were not able
to compete with the rates. Almost 95% of the production of rare earth metals is
credited to China. Along with being the primary producer of
these metals, China is also the leading consumer of rare earth elements. Most
of this is used in the manufacturing of various kinds of electronic products
which are consumed within the country as well as exported to other places. As
demands of these metals are increasing and production reports showing
decreasing trends, attempts are being made to find other ways of extracting
such metals from varying sources.
