Rare earth markets

Mona.Zlte, The commercial digestion process for m on a site uses caustic soda. The phosphate content of the ore is recovered as marketable trisodium phosphate and the rare earths as RE hydroxide (10). The usual industrial practice is to attack finely ground m on a site using a 50% sodium hydroxide solution at 150°C or a 70% sodium hydroxide solution at 180°C. The resultant mixed rare-earth and thorium hydroxide cake is dissolved in hydrochloric or nitric acid, then processed to remove thorium and other nonrare-earth elements, and processed to recover the individual rare earths (see... 

In 1990 world consumption of lanthanides was approximately 35,000 metric tons (45). The most important markets were the United States /Canada (32.8%), China (18.6%), Europe (15.8%), Japan (14.5%), Eastern Europe (9.5%), the rest of Asia (7.3%), and the rest of the world (1.4%). The principal rare-earth manufacturers in 1993 were Molycorp Inc. and RhcJ)ne-Poulenc in the United States RhcJ)ne-Poulenc and Treibacher Chemische WAG in Europe Shinetsu Chemical, Nippon Yttrium, Mitsubishi Chemical Inc., and Santoku Metal Inc. in Japan Indian Rare Earths in India and several additional companies located in the CIS and in the Baotou, Gansu, Yue Long, and Jiangxi provinces in China. 

Oil field uses are primarily imidazolines for surfactant and corrosion inhibition (see Petroleum). Besides the lubrication market for metal salts, the miscellaneous market is comprised of free acids used ia concrete additives, motor oil lubricants, and asphalt-paving applications (47) (see Asphalt Lubrication AND lubricants). Naphthenic acid has also been studied ia ore flotation for recovery of rare-earth metals (48) (see Flotation Lanthanides). 

Rare-earth application market, 74 644—645 Rare-earth catalysts, economic aspects of, 74 645... 

The authors of the chapters were asked to include the following information whenever possible the description of the use or application the scientific basis for the use market size—current and future competitive advantage of the rare earths and competition from other markets. Naturally some chapters for various reasons did not discuss all of these points. 

History of Rare Earth Applications, Rare Earth Market Today... 

American Metal Market, Summer I98O, Rare Earth Metals Price List. 

From 1940 to 1965, the principal source of these rare earth products was the mineral monazite (Th, RE orthophosphate) which fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one s point of view, contains 4-6% thorium. Today, there is essentially no market for thorium in the U.S. The expense of separating out thorium-free rare-earth products from monazite is not only excessive, but bound tightly in governmental red tape because of the mild radioactivity of the thorium. This situation does not apply in France, Brazil, or India, whose governments are wisely stockpiling all extracted thorium for future atomic energy needs. 

During the last three years, thirty patents have been published describing the use of rare earths in exhaust gas purification. In the event that all automotive catalysts in the USA were to contain 1% rare earth oxide, the market volume would be approximately 100 tons/year. It is probable that where Ce02 is used, the level will be between 1% and 10% in the catalyst. 

The elimination of thorium is of prime importance to Rhone-Poulenc and we have done a considerable amount of research to find a solution to this problem. Actually, the thorium level of our rare earth product is comparable to, if not better than, that of other products available on the market. Most of the time thorium is not even detectable. 

By contrast, the industrial user must view any raw material purchase in terms of its cost effectiveness and in the case of rare earth metals this frequently requires the adoption of low purity specifications. Therefore, in the context of the industrial applications to which reference will be made, the term pure will be taken to include all metals having a purity of not less than 95% - the balance being predominately other rare earths. But before considering the applications in detail it is perhaps of value to have some appreciation of the size of the market for these metals. 

Rare earth elements have earned an important role in the CRT (cathode ray tube) phosphor industry - a highly significant one for both the color TV and the rare earth businesses. This paper will review how rare earths earned this role, and will attempt to build a framework for discussion of future use of rare earths in CRT phosphors. Color TV phosphors will be emphasized since color TV is the largest market for CRT phosphors both generally, and in particular, those which contain rare earth elements. 

An already substantial and rapidly growing market for CRT phosphors and tubes is in the area of data displays, both alphanumeric and graphic, e.g., computer terminals and word processors. In spite of dramatic advances in other technologies, CRT s are still the most cost effective way to present information, and very likely always will be. Most data display tubes do not use rare earth phosphors because of their high cost, rare earth phosphors find use only when there is a compelling need for their special properties. At the present time, this is limited to the use of Eu3+ reds in tricolor tubes that use the same shadow mask principle as conventional color TV. 

The authors are honored by the invitation of Karl A, Gschneidner, Jr, to present this paper at the Second Chemical Congress of the North American Continent, They are also indebted to Joseph G, Cannon of Molycorp, Inc, and H, Holt Apgar of Rhone-Poulenc, Inc, for discussions relating to the market for rare earths. We acknowledge with thanks Wayne Person of GTE Sylvania, Towanda, PA, who provided the brightness and color coordinate data in Table I,... 

The potential market for rare earth phosphor is at least 100,000 kilo annually. 

Although the garnet compositions used in memories contain rare earths, the total rare earth use in magnetic films is not sufficient to make much impact on the rare earth market. The use of gadolinium oxide in substrate crystals is another matter. It has been estimated that by 1990 the annual use of Gd203 for GGG substrates will reach 40 metric tons, about twice the present rate (21). 

The many industrial uses of rare-earth elements are described In D. Lutz, The Quietly Expanding Rare-Earth Market , The Industrial Physicist, 2/3 ( Sept. 1996), 28. 

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