Rare earth metals — the oil of the 21st century

Abstract

The digest “Rare Earth Metals – the Oil of the 21st Century” brings together research published in the in Journal of Mining Institute between 1935 and 2026 on the topic of rare earth metals (REM). With the development of technology and industry, the problem of their extraction is becoming increasingly acute, as confirmed by the growing number of studies in this field. The collected works describe the mineralogy and geology of rare metals; the raw materials that can be used to obtain REM; and the methods of raw material processing that allow REM to be extracted. Rare earth metals are a group consisting of 15 lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium. According to Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 2473-r dated 30.08.2022, REM are included in the list of strategic types of mineral raw materials. By Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 939-r dated 16.04.2024, they were included in the list of deficient types of solid mineral resources [State Report on the State and Use of Mineral and Raw Material Resources of the Russian Federation in 2023]. The main sphere of REM consumption in the world, according to the Argus agency, is the production of permanent magnets, widely used in electronics, electric vehicles, and wind power installations (26% of the global figure; Nd, Tb, Dy, Gd, Pr, Sm are used); polishing powders and glasses (25% – Ce, La); catalysts for the oil refining, chemical, and automotive industries (17% – Ce, La, Pr, Nd); nickel-metal hydride batteries (11% – La, Ce, Nd, Pr, Sm); mischmetals and special alloys (6% – Ce, La, Nd, Pr, Y); ceramics (6% – La, Ce, Nd, Y). REM are also involved in: the production of phosphors (Y, Yt, Tb, Gd, Eu, Ce, La, Ho), the nuclear industry (Gd, La), and others (9%). The consumption structure of individual countries depends on the technological mode of their economies. The share of magnets in the REM consumption structure is expected to grow to 42% by 2033 [State Report on the State and Use of Mineral and Raw Material Resources of the Russian Federation in 2023].