Book Preview: Rare earths, contested raw materials of the high-tech age
The most important raw material of German industry is the inventiveness of its engineers. This bon mot is true, but it is not entirely honest. Because without raw materials like cerium or europium, even the smartest engineer won't get far. The book "Rare Earths" deals with contested raw materials of our age.
China almost completely dominates the market for rare earths. While raw materials such as iron or aluminum appear to be inexhaustible, the situation is different for the so-called rare earths - albeit primarily because the quasi-monopolist China can dictate the quantities available to the market. The 17 metals owe their special importance to the fact that they are used in extremely sensitive areas: From military technology to communications and energy technology, we shape our modern everyday lives with their help.
The tenth volume of the Material Stories series gives a face to the unknown as well as the indispensable, informs about the history, use and significance of neodymium, europium & Co.
The book: "Rare earths, contested raw materials of the high-tech age of" written by the authors Luitgard Marshall and Heike Holdinghausen will be published by oekom verlag, Munich, on November 2, 2017.
Concentration on a few mines
The mining of these metals is concentrated in a few mines. China almost completely dominates the world market; this repeatedly triggers fears of supply bottlenecks among Western producers who rely on rare earths. The problem makes sense: Increasingly stringent environmental regulations led Western companies to withdraw almost entirely. Compliance was too expensive for them. The former main producer, the USA, has therefore been replaced by China over the last 20 years.
Highly toxic slag in lakes
The minerals extracted from the ground are treated with acids or alkalis to dissolve out the desired metals. What remains is a toxic slag, which often contains radioactive substances such as thorium as a sort of admixture. This slag is stored in artificial lakes next to the mines. The environmental problems are thus exported to countries that cannot afford - or do not want - (expensive) protective regulations. (Source: Reuters)
