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Posts: 17

Governor

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Q: Why are rare earths special and why doesn't China export it?

I read somewhere that Europe, Japan and North America all complained that China was exporting too little of its rare earths, but it didn't really specify why they were important or what goods they were used to manufacture.

How is it that China controls so much of them?

12 years 1 week ago in  Business & Jobs - China

 
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Posts: 3025

Emperor

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Rare earth elements are a collection of seventeen members of the periodic table, as defined by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, but the name is somewhat misleading. Composed mostly of members of the Periodic Table's Lanthanide series, rare earths are similar in abundance as more familiar elements such as copper, nickel or zinc, while even the least abundant naturally occurring rare earths are 200 times more common than gold. However, rare earth elements are only found in commercially viable amounts in several areas of the world.

This situation has been compounded by Chinese production that has undercut costs of production in the US, by way of lower labor costs and less

stringent environmental regulation.

Once self-sufficient in rare earth production, sites in the US such as the Mountain Pass Mine in California's Mojave Desert operates far below capacity, according to the USGS, for these environmental and economic concerns.
 

"Rare earths" are a group of 17 chemically similar elements crucial to the manufacture of many hi-tech products. Despite their name, most are abundant in nature but are hazardous to extract. Most "rare earth" elements have uses in several different fields, as well as those listed below, among others :

Neodymium : This is used to make powerful magnets used in loudspeakers and computer hard drives to enable them to be smaller and more efficient. Magnets containing neodymium are also used in green technologies such as the manufacture of wind turbines and hybrid cars.

Lanthanum : This element is used in camera and telescope lenses. Compounds containing lanthanum are used extensively in carbon lighting applications, such as studio lighting and cinema projection.

Cerium : Used in catalytic converters in cars, enabling them to run at high temperatures and playing a crucial role in the chemical reactions in the converter. Lanthanum and cerium are also used in the process of refining crude oil.

Yttrium : It is used in the process of generating colour displays on devices such as television screens

Praseodymium : Used to create strong metals for use in aircraft engines. Praseodymium is also a component of a special sort of glass, used to make visors to protect welders and glassmakers. Used in X-ray and MRI scanning systems, and also in television screens. Research is also being done into its possible use in developing more efficient refrigeration systems.

Yttrium, terbium, europium : Important in making televisions and computer screens and other devices that have visual displays as they are used in making materials that give off different colours. Europium is also used in making control rods in nuclear reactors.

Source: British Geological Survey, Royal Society of Chemistry.

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12 years 1 week ago
 
Posts: 1008

Shifu

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Well other than the lenghly lost of HappyExpat, I'll get to the other part of your post. Number one, Europe and India Control the diamond industry and diamonds are not as rare as they appear to be. They are in great abundance but is kept under rapts so the value remains the same. Truth be known, if China exports more rare minerals then the market will not be controlled by China so the world especially those who deal with precious stones wants China to export more so the market can be controlled by the ones who control all mineral sells.

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12 years 1 week ago
 
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Emperor

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Wow, you guys can sure make an easy answer hard to understand. The most common use of rare earth are the elements, used in technology, like smart phones and tv's.  Because they cause so much pollution most places dont mine it much. China produces 90% of the world rare earths. China sais they dont export it for environmental reasons. Other countries say, china doesnt export it because companies need it, so to get it, they must come to china and build factories here where its easy to get.  Nice and Simple

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12 years 1 week ago
 
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