Context:
Government has announced new royalty rates for the mining of lithium, niobium, and rare earths to encourage domestic mining of these strategic minerals.
Key Details – Rare Earth Elements
Why called so?
- They are called “rare” because they are only found in low concentrations in minerals, and they are difficult to isolate.
What are they?
- 17 metallic elements (atomic numbers 21, 39, and 57–71).
- They have unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties and are essential to many modern technologies.
What make them special?
- An element’s properties like lustre, attraction to magnets etc. are determined by how freely the outer electrons can be jolted.
- The rare earths possess an important set of electrons, located near the outer valence electrons but slightly closer to the nucleus.
- The trick is to tickle these unique electrons with light or magnetic field- to harness their potential for electronics and related tech.
- This configuration gives them fantastically useful magnetic and optical properties.
How do we get rare earths?
- Rare earths occur naturally as mixtures.
- Separated using liquid-liquid extraction, a process that requires hundreds or thousands of cycles.
Why there is a shortage?
- Rare earth extraction and separation result in acid and radioactive waste, causing environmental damage. Stringent regulations increase production costs, except in China, who has lax environmental concerns.
- If we can improve the separation technology, then less hazardous material to dispose of and can get cheaper rare earths.
What are the Applications?
- Electronics:
- Neodymium (Nd) and dysprosium (Dy) – Production of powerful magnets for computer hard drives, headphones, speakers, and electric motors.
- Yttrium (Y) – In phosphors for LED displays, televisions, and energy-efficient lighting.
- Renewable Energy:
- Neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) – In high-efficiency wind turbines and electric vehicle (EV) motors.
- Lanthanum (La) – In nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, commonly found in hybrid electric vehicles.
- Defense and Aerospace:
- Gadolinium (Gd) – Fabrication of control rods for nuclear reactors and in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems.
- Terbium (Tb) – In precision-guided missiles and night vision goggles.
- Catalysts and Chemicals:
- Cerium (Ce) – As a catalyst in automotive exhaust systems to reduce emissions.
- Europium (Eu) – In fluorescent lamps, lasers, and as a phosphor in television screens.
- Glass and Ceramics:
- Yttrium (Y) – To produce red phosphors in television screens and optical lenses.
- Erbium (Er) – Manufacturing of fiber optic communication systems.
- Magnets and Motors:
- Samarium (Sm) – In high-temperature magnets for aerospace applications and electric vehicle motors.
- Praseodymium (Pr) – In magnets for headphones, microphones, and other small electronic devices.
- Medical Applications:
- Lutetium (Lu) – In cancer treatment through targeted radiation therapy.
- Holmium (Ho) – In lasers for medical procedures like kidney stone treatment.
About Niobium:
- A light grey, crystalline metal
- Main source – Mineral Columbite
- Found in countries – Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Nigeria
- A layer of oxide on its surface which makes it resistant to corrosion.
- Major Producers – Brazil (largest) and Canada (2nd)
- Applications – Jet engines, beams and girders for buildings, oil and gas pipelines, magnets for particle accelerators and MRI scanners, jewelry making
Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment act, 2023 delisted 6 minerals, including Lithium and Niobium, from the list of atomic minerals.
Click here to read about Critical Minerals
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
With reference to India, consider the following statements:
1. Monazite is a source of rare earths.
2. Monazite contains thorium.
3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India.
4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2022 Prelims]
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Monazite is an atomic mineral that occurs naturally in the coastal sands of three districts: Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Kanyakumari. Hence, Statement 3 is not correct.
