RARE EARTHS: AN OPTION FOR INVESTMENTS

Saturday, 07 January 2012 07:07

lantanio

The biggest obstacle to investing in rare earth metals is to recognize that are grouped under this name. Unlike base metals and precious metals, is not very easy to find reliable information about this topic. In addition, the rare earths are a very small market in terms of tons, compared for example gold, copper or aluminum.

We will try to provide some basic information on the subject.

Rare earths, or RE (Rare Earths) and REE (Rare Earth Elements) or REM (Rare Earth Metals), a group of 17 metals are grouped into two categories: heavy rare earths (mineral deposits are rare, small and not very concentrated ) and light rare earths (in the most common mineral deposits, relatively large and very exploited).

HEAVY RARE EARTHS

1) Yttrium used for screens, alloys and TV.

2) Promethium, used for nuclear batteries.

3) Europium, used for TV screens.

4) Gadolinium, used in magnets and superconductors.

5) Terbium, used for lasers, alloys and fuel cells.

6) Dysprosium, used for laser TV and hybrid engines.

7) Holmium, used for lasers.

8) Erbium, used for laser-vanadium steel and fiber optics.

9) Tulio, used as a source of X-rays and ceramics.

10) Iterbio, used for infrared laser windows and high reactivity.

11) Lutetium, and catalysts used for PET scanners.

LIGHT RARE EARTHS

12) Samarium, used for magnets, lasers and lights.

13) Neodymium, used for magnets.

14) Lanthanum (pictured), used in rechargeable batteries.

15) Cerium, used batteries, catalysts, production of glass and steel

16) Praseodymium, and magnets used to color the glass.

17) Scandium, used for aluminium alloys and aerospace industry.

Until 1948 most of the rare earths in the world came from India and Brazil. To date 95% of the world's supply of rare earths from China. The main sources of rare earths are the minerals bastnasite, loparite, monazite and lateritic clays.