Latest News About Hidden Elements Supply -of- Magnets for Clean Tech

Updated 2026-06-18 07:27

Rare earth elements remain a set of 17 featuring scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides from lanthanum to lutetium, occurring together in numerous ore deposits that are critical for magnets, catalysts, as well as clean-energy tech. Cerium is the most abundant REE in the crust, while promethium does not occur naturally and has radioactive isotopes. Worldwide supply lines have historically depended on a few nations for mining and processing, driving ongoing diversification efforts amid price volatility due to mining, processing, and geopolitical factors. American Molycorp started output at Mountain Pass and aims for full capacity to reach 19,050 metric tons, with a separation plant at Mountain to processing. Rare earths are used as catalysts and magnets in modern tech, driving clean-energy apps and advanced manufacturing. These global significance has prompted diversification and supply chain reforms to mitigate price swings from mining, processing, and geopolitics. Overall, rare-earth elements remain crucial for modern technology in green energy advancement.

Sources

Rare-earth element | Uses, Properties, & Facts

Rare-earth element, any member of the group of chemical elements consisting of three elements in Group 3 (scandium [Sc], yttrium [Y], and lanthanum [La]) and the first extended row of elements below the main body of the periodic table (cerium [Ce] through lutetium [Lu]).

www.britannica.com

Rare Earths Information Page

Find out everything you need to know about rare earths such as dysprosium and neodymium. This includes extraction, areas of application and the political dimension.

rareearths.com

Rare Earth Elements: The Global Supply Chain

U.S.-based Molycorp has begun production at its Mountain Pass mine and anticipates production at full capacity (19,050 metric tons) in 2014. Molycorp also operates a separation plant at Mountain Pass, CA, and sells rare earth concentrates and refined products from newly mined and previously mined above-ground stocks. Molycorp announced its purchase of Neo Materials

sgp.fas.org