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The Rare Earths: Top Spot for the Bottom of the Periodic Table

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strout7890

Over the past few years, the rare earths went from being a mostly ignored part of the periodic table to being at the forefront of the conversation for a number of commercial, technical, political and strategic reasons. Starting with some historical background, this talk explains what has happened, how these elements inconspicuously connect to our daily lives, why they are important to us and where things are likely to go in the future. Given at St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN on October 21, 2013 http://wp.stolaf.edu/physics/files/2013/10/posterTrout.pdf http://wp.stolaf.edu/physics/colloquium/

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The Rare Earths: Top Spot for the Bottom of the Periodic Table S. R. Trout October 21, 2013
The Rare Earths: Top Spot for the Bottom of the Periodic Table
Outline Background Personal Rare Earths Rare Earth Sources Rare Earth Applications Lighting Catalysts Magnets Recycling The Future, Why is it so complicated?
Background Stops along the way Univ. of Pennsylvania Companies Recoma Crucible Hitachi Magnequench Molycorp Academic Metro State University of Denver Marian University Alma College Ellis University Ivy Tech Consulting
Rare Earths Sc Y La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
Rare Earths Ores contain all rare earths except Pm The rare earths are chemically very similar There is no shortage of ore Bastnasite & Monazite are the most common Most ores are rich in Ce, La, Nd and Pr Not all rare earths are rare in the Earth Magnetic, optical, electronic and catalytic properties vary widely The lanthanide contraction Producers try to balance supply and demand And are rarely successful!
The Rare Earths: Top Spot for the Bottom of the Periodic Table
Dilbert, February 28, 2011
Critical Materials Hub DOE Program $120 million, 5 years National Labs Academe Industry Reduce criticality Source: DOE Announcement May 2012
Recent RE Metal Prices
Global Rare Earth Production Trends Source: U.S. Geological Survey
1 km Bayan Obo mine , near Baotou, China Photo from Google Earth
~1 km Mountain Pass, CA, source: Molycorp
Rare Earth Sources Active mines China Baotou Ionic Ores Mines coming on stream USA Mountain Pass, CA Australia Mt. Weld Under Development Australia Nolans Bore Canada Hoidas Lake Nechalacho India Brazil Vietnam Russia
Rare Earths Bastnasite Ore Others Nd 2% 12% Pr 6% Ce 49% La 31%
Separating the Rare Earths Source: ORNL
Rare Earth Markets Ceramics 4% Others Catalyst Glass 3% 5% 2% Polishing 4% Phosphors 31% Do the markets change over time? Metal Alloys 14% Magnets 37% Dollar basis 2008 Source: IMCOA
Early Lighting Options Welsbach Candoluminescence Edison Incandescence Source: Gas Light Guys Source: Wikipedia Source: Auer Licht
Lighting Phosphors
Lighting Phosphors Red: Y2O3: Eu Green: (La, Ce, Tb) PO4 Blue: BaMgAl10O17:Eu What we see depends on phosphor quality Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) Source: GE Lighting
Fluorescent Lighting Advantages Higher output 58 lu/W vs. 13.5 lu/W Lower operating cost 10 W vs. 40 W Longer life 12,000 hrs vs. 1,000 hrs Data source: GE Lighting Disadvantages Slightly higher price Difficulty dimming Unappealing light? Cheap bulb = cheap phosphor Hg in bulb, special disposal preferred
Automotive Catalysts Source: BASF
Refining Catalysts Fluid Cracking Catalyst (FCC) Ideal for heavy crude to make gasoline Ion-exchanged zeolite (cat litter) Variable demand Driving season and heating season Available crude
Rare Earth Magnets Hard drive Applications Voice Coil Motor (VCM) Spindle motors 5x108 per year Source: Western Digital
Rare Earth Magnets Applications Automotive Hybrids Electric vehicles Source: Toyota
Recycling Historically unimportant Low value Difficulty Interest rises and falls with prices Center of Resource Recovery and Recycling Eu, Tb and Y oxides from lighting phosphors Nd and Dy from magnets, mainly hard drives
The Future Niels Bohr, Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. Supply and Demand are dynamic Overreacting and underreacting are normal Supply Demand Investors Government Finding equilibrium is difficult & takes time Energy conservation is a major driver Flexible companies are most likely to survive Rigid companies are least likely to survive We need to use these materials wisely
Rare Earths Sc Y La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu

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The Rare Earths: Top Spot for the Bottom of the Periodic Table

  • 1. The Rare Earths: Top Spot for the Bottom of the Periodic Table S. R. Trout October 21, 2013
  • 3. Outline Background Personal Rare Earths Rare Earth Sources Rare Earth Applications Lighting Catalysts Magnets Recycling The Future, Why is it so complicated?
  • 4. Background Stops along the way Univ. of Pennsylvania Companies Recoma Crucible Hitachi Magnequench Molycorp Academic Metro State University of Denver Marian University Alma College Ellis University Ivy Tech Consulting
  • 5. Rare Earths Sc Y La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
  • 6. Rare Earths Ores contain all rare earths except Pm The rare earths are chemically very similar There is no shortage of ore Bastnasite & Monazite are the most common Most ores are rich in Ce, La, Nd and Pr Not all rare earths are rare in the Earth Magnetic, optical, electronic and catalytic properties vary widely The lanthanide contraction Producers try to balance supply and demand And are rarely successful!
  • 9. Critical Materials Hub DOE Program $120 million, 5 years National Labs Academe Industry Reduce criticality Source: DOE Announcement May 2012
  • 10. Recent RE Metal Prices
  • 11. Global Rare Earth Production Trends Source: U.S. Geological Survey
  • 12. 1 km Bayan Obo mine , near Baotou, China Photo from Google Earth
  • 13. ~1 km Mountain Pass, CA, source: Molycorp
  • 14. Rare Earth Sources Active mines China Baotou Ionic Ores Mines coming on stream USA Mountain Pass, CA Australia Mt. Weld Under Development Australia Nolans Bore Canada Hoidas Lake Nechalacho India Brazil Vietnam Russia
  • 15. Rare Earths Bastnasite Ore Others Nd 2% 12% Pr 6% Ce 49% La 31%
  • 16. Separating the Rare Earths Source: ORNL
  • 17. Rare Earth Markets Ceramics 4% Others Catalyst Glass 3% 5% 2% Polishing 4% Phosphors 31% Do the markets change over time? Metal Alloys 14% Magnets 37% Dollar basis 2008 Source: IMCOA
  • 20. Lighting Phosphors Red: Y2O3: Eu Green: (La, Ce, Tb) PO4 Blue: BaMgAl10O17:Eu What we see depends on phosphor quality Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) Source: GE Lighting
  • 21. Fluorescent Lighting Advantages Higher output 58 lu/W vs. 13.5 lu/W Lower operating cost 10 W vs. 40 W Longer life 12,000 hrs vs. 1,000 hrs Data source: GE Lighting Disadvantages Slightly higher price Difficulty dimming Unappealing light? Cheap bulb = cheap phosphor Hg in bulb, special disposal preferred
  • 23. Refining Catalysts Fluid Cracking Catalyst (FCC) Ideal for heavy crude to make gasoline Ion-exchanged zeolite (cat litter) Variable demand Driving season and heating season Available crude
  • 24. Rare Earth Magnets Hard drive Applications Voice Coil Motor (VCM) Spindle motors 5x108 per year Source: Western Digital
  • 25. Rare Earth Magnets Applications Automotive Hybrids Electric vehicles Source: Toyota
  • 26. Recycling Historically unimportant Low value Difficulty Interest rises and falls with prices Center of Resource Recovery and Recycling Eu, Tb and Y oxides from lighting phosphors Nd and Dy from magnets, mainly hard drives
  • 27. The Future Niels Bohr, Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. Supply and Demand are dynamic Overreacting and underreacting are normal Supply Demand Investors Government Finding equilibrium is difficult & takes time Energy conservation is a major driver Flexible companies are most likely to survive Rigid companies are least likely to survive We need to use these materials wisely
  • 28. Rare Earths Sc Y La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu