WHAT ARE RARE EARTH ELEMENTS AND RARE METALS?
Rare Earth Elements are a group of seventeen elements in the periodic table that include the fifteen lanthanide elements, plus scandium and yttrium. Contrary to their informal classification as "rare earths", none of these elements are particularly rare, with the most uncommon of these elements, thulium, being more abundant than iodine. Rather, this set of elements are "rare" because of the lack of concentrated and therefore economically extractable deposits. Locating economically feasible deposits of rare earths requires a significant amount of geological surveying. Because of their geochemical properties, rare earths can often be found together. Rare earths are critical in the production of many current technologies. For example, dysprosium is used to make heat-resistant magnet alloys in wind turbines, and yttrium, cerium, and lanthanum are used in LCD and OLED displays.
Rare Metals are a collection of several metallic elements used in emerging technologies. Unlike rare earth elements, rare metals are a diverse set of elements not found in close proximity to each other on the periodic table, and have highly different chemical properties. Metals in this group include gallium, which is used in the manufacture of semiconductors and indium which is an important component of smartphone touchscreens.
Rare Metals are a collection of several metallic elements used in emerging technologies. Unlike rare earth elements, rare metals are a diverse set of elements not found in close proximity to each other on the periodic table, and have highly different chemical properties. Metals in this group include gallium, which is used in the manufacture of semiconductors and indium which is an important component of smartphone touchscreens.
Rare Earth Metals in Everyday Things
You may not realize it, but rare earths are critical in the production of many current technologies. Rare metals are a collection of several metallic elements used in emerging technologies. Unlike rare earth elements, rare metals are a diverse set of elements not found in close proximity to each other on the periodic table, and have highly different chemical properties. Metals in this group include gallium, which is an important component of smartphone touchscreens. The production of new cell phones, computers, tablets and other electronics depends greatly on the access to rare earth metals. The application of these rare earth metals seems endless in a society that functions off of technological advances.
Facts About E-Waste
- The United States generates a whopping 3.4 million tons of e-waste per year, with 29 percent of that getting reused or recycled (Environmental Protection Agency)
- Less than 15%% of global e-waste undergo any form of recycling (GIS WATCH, 2010)
- Everyday US consumers dispose of enough TVs to fill more than 600 trucks and enough cell phones to cover over 50 football fields (EPA, 2011)
- Guiyu, China receives 4000 tons of e-waste every hour (ES&T, 2009)
- In 2009, more than 80% of US consumer e-waste was land filled (EPA, 2010)
- Less than 1% of rare earth metals are currently recycled (EPA, 2011)
Sources:
• http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/elements/index.html
• Helen C. Aspinall (2001).Chemistry of the f-block elements
• http://www.resourcefever.org/publications/reports/Recycling%20critical%20raw%20materials%20from%20waste%20electronic%20equipment.pdf
• http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/elements/index.html
• Helen C. Aspinall (2001).Chemistry of the f-block elements
• http://www.resourcefever.org/publications/reports/Recycling%20critical%20raw%20materials%20from%20waste%20electronic%20equipment.pdf