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Understanding Rare Earth Materials

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Understanding Rare Earth Materials

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Termed rare due to scarcity in distribution, rare earths refer to 17 metals: the 15 lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium. Rare earths are used in many industries including optics, defense, automotive, and medical, along with a vast quantity of consumer products from power tools to smart phones. Due to advancements in electronics and other technologies, consumption of rare earths has drastically increased since efficient separation methods were first introduced in the 1950s and 1960s. Currently, world demand for rare earths is around 134,000 tons annually, with an expected growth to 180,000 tons annually by 2012.

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