In the meantime, you can drop off your retired cell phones at certain businesses the EPA maintains a list , or they can be mailed to a recycling facility or donated to a charity. Every little bit helps. Just think, if you recycle your old phone today, your future self may thank you for the brilliant new features on the iPhone Receive emails about upcoming NOVA programs and related content, as well as featured reporting about current events through a science lens.
Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. Support Provided By Learn More. Related Tiny Black Holes. Email Address. Zip Code. Share this article. The rare earths' unique properties are used in a wide variety of applications. Subscribe to receive an email notification when a publication is added to this page. Mineral Commodity Summaries. Skip to main content.
Single Accounts Corporate Solutions Universities. Premium statistics. Read more. China's reserves of rare earths amounted to an estimated 4. Global snapshot of rare earth reserves According to estimates, the total worldwide reserves of rare earths are approximately million metric tons. Most of these reserves are located within China, and are estimated at some 44 million metric tons.
The United States also has significant reserves, estimated to amount to 1. After China, the major rare earth countries based on reserve volume are Vietnam, Brazil, and Russia. The largest rare earth producers With over , metric tons produced from mines in , China was also the world's largest producer of rare earths. China produces most of its rare earths in the southeastern part of the country, such as in the provinces Jiangxi and Fujian, however production also occurs in other parts of the country such as Inner Mongolia and Sichuan.
The United States, which is the second largest producer of rare earths from mines, extracted some 38, metric tons of these mineral commodities in the same year. Breakdown of rare earth elements: end uses and different types Rare earth elements, also called rare earth metals, are a group of 17 chemical elements.
The largest subgroup within it are the 15 lanthanides. The two other elements are scandium and yttrium. Based on quantity, the lanthanides cerium, lanthanum and neodymium are the most produced rare earths elements. Yttrium, one of the rare earths that was explored first, got its name from the town where it was discovered — Ytterby, Sweden. Nowadays, rare earth elements are crucial for a number of key technologies such as medical technology and energy technology.
They are used, among many other things, for lasers, battery electrodes, magnets, MRI contrast agents, catalysts, alloys, etc.
It is expected that in the near future , most of the rare earth metals produced will be needed for manufacturing magnets and metal alloys. Rare earth elements are heavily used in all of these industries, so the demand for them should remain high.
Article by: Hobart M. Defense Uses of Rare Earth Elements Lanthanum night-vision goggles Neodymium laser range-finders, guidance systems, communications Europium fluorescents and phosphors in lamps and monitors Erbium amplifiers in fiber-optic data transmission Samarium permanent magnets that are stable at high temperatures Samarium precision-guided weapons Samarium "white noise" production in stealth technology.
Did You Know? Most of the scandium used in the United States goes into aluminum-alloy baseball bats and other sports equipment [4].
Scandium is also used in semiconductors and specialty lighting. Rare earth magnets are used in wind turbines. Some large turbines require two TONS of rare earth magnets. These magnets are very strong and make the turbines highly efficient. Rare earth magnets are used in turbines and generators in many alternative energy applications. Prices and demand for rare earth materials have risen dramatically over the past decade. Deposits in Australia and the United States are going back into operation, and exploration in many new areas is progressing.
Every hybrid-electric and electric vehicle has a large battery. Each battery is made using several pounds of rare earth compounds. The use of electric vehicles is expected to increase rapidly, driven by energy independence, climate change and other concerns. This will increase the demand for rare earth materials.
Tiny amounts of rare earth metals are used in most small electronic devices. These devices have a short lifespan, and REE recycling is infrequently done. Billions are thrown away each year. World Mine Production and Reserves Estimates Country Production Metric Tons Reserves Metric Tons United States 38, 1,, Australia 17, 4,, Brazil 1, 21,, Burma 30, not available Burundi not available Canada -- , China , 44,, Greenland -- 1,, India 3, 6,, Madagascar 8, not available Russia 2, 12,, South Africa -- , Tanzania -- , Thailand 2, not available Vietnam 1, 22,, Other Countries , World total rounded , ,, Hurst, National Defense University Press.
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