Serpo
20th June 2012, 01:55 PM
The end of the gadget bonanza? China warns it is running out of the raw materials that power our mobiles, X-Ray machines, computers and cameras
By Eddie Wrenn (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Eddie+Wrenn)
PUBLISHED: 14:25 GMT, 20 June 2012 | UPDATED: 16:26 GMT, 20 June 2012
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China's rare earth reserves account for approximately 23 percent of the world's total - but are being excessively exploited, the Chinese government has said.
Although 23 per cent is a high percentage for one nation to possess, China supplies over 90 percent of rare earth products on the global market.
We need the raw materials - chemicals such as yttrium, which is used in TVs, or lanthanum, used for camera lenses - for the modern tools we use everyday.
This runs the risk that if China starts reducing its output, we may see spiralling prices for our modern accessories - or even simply be able to produce them in the first place.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/06/20/article-0-07A4C5C0000005DC-543_634x422.jpg A rare earth mine at Bayan Obo: The elements are a group of 17 elements that are essential in 25% of modern technology including cell phones, computer hard discs, and electric motors
According to the white paper titled 'Situation and Policies of China's Rare Earth Industry', the country has 'paid a big price' for problems in its rare earth industry like excessive exploitation, environmental damages, unhealthy industrial structure, under-rated prices and rampant smuggling.
China has seen rare earth reserves keep declining in major mining areas, with the reserve-extraction ratio of ion-absorption rare earth mines in southern provinces slumping to 15 from 50 two decades ago, the white paper said.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/06/20/article-2162163-13B22D75000005DC-978_306x423.jpg Bye bye mobiles? Rare earth materials are used in many modern-day smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3
In North China's Baotou city, only one-third of the original volume of rare earth resources is still available in the main mining areas, it added.
Meanwhile, outdated production processes and techniques have severely damaged the environment, the white paper said, noting that excessive mining has resulted in landslides and pollution emergencies and even major disasters in some places.
Besides, the industry is also plagued by over-capacity in low-end product manufacturing and the fact that prices of rare earth products fail to reflect their value and scarcity despite a gradual rise since the second half of 2010, according to the white paper.
Rising demand for rare earth products has fueled smuggling, with the volume of rare earth products imported from China calculated by foreign customs reaching 1.2 times the export volume counted by the Chinese customs in 2011, the white paper said.
China is the world's largest producer of rare earths, a group of 17 metals vital for manufacturing products ranging from smart phones, wind turbines, electric car batteries to missiles.
SO WHAT ARE RARE EARTH MATERIALS?Rare Earth materials, as there name implies, are found on Earth. They may not necessarily be rare, but they can be tough to harvest as they can be spread throughout the world's crust.
This is a full list of rare earth materials, many of which are mined and sold in China.
Scandium - used for aerospace components, and an additive in Mercury lamps
Yttrium - used in TVs, high-temperature superconductors, and microwave filters
Lanthanum used for battery-electrodes, camera lenses, and in the oil industry
Cerium - used as polishing powder, yellow colors in glass and ceramics, self-cleaning ovens, and the flints in lighters
Praseodymium - used for certain magnets, lasers, carbon arc lighting, and as a colorant in glasses and enamels
Neodymium - used in magnets, lasers, violet colors in glass and ceramics, and ceramic capacitors
Promethium - used in nuclear batteries
Samarium - used in lasers, neutron capture, masers
Europium - used in lasers and mercury lamps
Gadolinium - used in lasers, X-ray tubes, computer memories, neutron capture, and MRI machines
Terbium - used in fluorescent lamps
Dysprosium - used in magnets and lasers
Holmium - used in lasers
Erbium - used in lasers
Thulium - used in some X-ray machines
Ytterbium - used in infrared lasers and chemical research
Lutetium - used in PET Scan detectors and high refractive index glass
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2162163/China-Nation-23-worlds-rare-earth-materials-supplies-90-market.html
By Eddie Wrenn (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Eddie+Wrenn)
PUBLISHED: 14:25 GMT, 20 June 2012 | UPDATED: 16:26 GMT, 20 June 2012
Comments (20) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2162163/China-Nation-23-worlds-rare-earth-materials-supplies-90-market.html#comments)
Share (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2162163/China-Nation-23-worlds-rare-earth-materials-supplies-90-market.html#socialLinks)
China's rare earth reserves account for approximately 23 percent of the world's total - but are being excessively exploited, the Chinese government has said.
Although 23 per cent is a high percentage for one nation to possess, China supplies over 90 percent of rare earth products on the global market.
We need the raw materials - chemicals such as yttrium, which is used in TVs, or lanthanum, used for camera lenses - for the modern tools we use everyday.
This runs the risk that if China starts reducing its output, we may see spiralling prices for our modern accessories - or even simply be able to produce them in the first place.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/06/20/article-0-07A4C5C0000005DC-543_634x422.jpg A rare earth mine at Bayan Obo: The elements are a group of 17 elements that are essential in 25% of modern technology including cell phones, computer hard discs, and electric motors
According to the white paper titled 'Situation and Policies of China's Rare Earth Industry', the country has 'paid a big price' for problems in its rare earth industry like excessive exploitation, environmental damages, unhealthy industrial structure, under-rated prices and rampant smuggling.
China has seen rare earth reserves keep declining in major mining areas, with the reserve-extraction ratio of ion-absorption rare earth mines in southern provinces slumping to 15 from 50 two decades ago, the white paper said.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/06/20/article-2162163-13B22D75000005DC-978_306x423.jpg Bye bye mobiles? Rare earth materials are used in many modern-day smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3
In North China's Baotou city, only one-third of the original volume of rare earth resources is still available in the main mining areas, it added.
Meanwhile, outdated production processes and techniques have severely damaged the environment, the white paper said, noting that excessive mining has resulted in landslides and pollution emergencies and even major disasters in some places.
Besides, the industry is also plagued by over-capacity in low-end product manufacturing and the fact that prices of rare earth products fail to reflect their value and scarcity despite a gradual rise since the second half of 2010, according to the white paper.
Rising demand for rare earth products has fueled smuggling, with the volume of rare earth products imported from China calculated by foreign customs reaching 1.2 times the export volume counted by the Chinese customs in 2011, the white paper said.
China is the world's largest producer of rare earths, a group of 17 metals vital for manufacturing products ranging from smart phones, wind turbines, electric car batteries to missiles.
SO WHAT ARE RARE EARTH MATERIALS?Rare Earth materials, as there name implies, are found on Earth. They may not necessarily be rare, but they can be tough to harvest as they can be spread throughout the world's crust.
This is a full list of rare earth materials, many of which are mined and sold in China.
Scandium - used for aerospace components, and an additive in Mercury lamps
Yttrium - used in TVs, high-temperature superconductors, and microwave filters
Lanthanum used for battery-electrodes, camera lenses, and in the oil industry
Cerium - used as polishing powder, yellow colors in glass and ceramics, self-cleaning ovens, and the flints in lighters
Praseodymium - used for certain magnets, lasers, carbon arc lighting, and as a colorant in glasses and enamels
Neodymium - used in magnets, lasers, violet colors in glass and ceramics, and ceramic capacitors
Promethium - used in nuclear batteries
Samarium - used in lasers, neutron capture, masers
Europium - used in lasers and mercury lamps
Gadolinium - used in lasers, X-ray tubes, computer memories, neutron capture, and MRI machines
Terbium - used in fluorescent lamps
Dysprosium - used in magnets and lasers
Holmium - used in lasers
Erbium - used in lasers
Thulium - used in some X-ray machines
Ytterbium - used in infrared lasers and chemical research
Lutetium - used in PET Scan detectors and high refractive index glass
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2162163/China-Nation-23-worlds-rare-earth-materials-supplies-90-market.html