The Economics of Rare Earths and Yttrium, 13th edition, 2007

Table of Contents

1. Summary

2. Introduction

3. Occurrence and reserves

• 3.1 Mineral resources and reserves
• 3.2 Occurrence
  • 3.2.1 Bastnaesite
  • 3.2.2 Ion adsorption ores
  • 3.2.3 Monazite
  • 3.2.4 Xenotime
  • 3.2.5 Other sources
• 3.3 Reserves
  • 3.3.1 Rare Earth Reserves
  • 3.3.2 Yttrium Reserves

4. Mining and processing

• 4.1 Rare earth ores
  • 4.1.1 Bastnaesite
  • 4.1.2 Ion adsorption clays
  • 4.1.3 Monazite
    • 4.1.3.1 Monazite Ore Separation
    • 4.1.3.2 Alkaline processing of monazite
    • 4.1.3.3 Acid processing of monazite
  • 4.1.4 Xenotime
  • 4.1.5 Apatite
  • 4.1.6 Loparite
  • 4.1.7 Other sources
• 4.2 Purification and extraction of rare earth oxides
• 4.3 Radioactivity

5. World production of rare earths

• 5.1 Rare earth minerals
• 5.2 Processed rare earths

6. Production and processing of rare earths by country and company

• 6.1 Australia
  • 6.1.1 Reserves
  • 6.1.2 Alkane Exploration Limited (Dubbo Zirconia Project)
  • 6.1.3 Arafura Resources NL (Nolans Project)
  • 6.1.4 Lynas Corporation Ltd (Mt Weld Project)
• 6.2 Austria
  • 6.2.1 Treibacher Industrie AG (Treibacher)
• 6.3 Brazil
• 6.4 Canada
  • 6.4.1 Avalon Ventures Ltd (Thor Lake Project)
  • 6.4.2 Great Western Minerals Group Ltd (Hoidas Lake Project)
  • 6.4.3 Neo Material Technologies Inc.
  • 6.4.4 VMS Ventures (Eden Lake Project)
• 6.5 China
  • 6.5.1 Reserves
  • 6.5.2 Recent administrative developments in China
  • 6.5.3 Production of rare earth-containing minerals
  • 6.5.4 Production of processed rare earths
  • 6.5.5 Major rare earth mining and processing enterprises in Inner Mongolia and Gansu
    • 6.5.5.1 Baotou Iron & Steel and Rare Earths Company (Group) Ltd (Baogang)
    • 6.5.5.2 Baogang Rare Earth (formerly Baotou Rare Earth Hi-Tech Co. Ltd)
    • 6.5.5.3 Baotou Huamei Rare Earth Hi-Tech Co., Ltd (Huamei)
    • 6.5.5.4 Inner Mongolia Rare Earth Ovonic Metal Hydride Co. Ltd (Baotou Ovonic)
    • 6.5.5.5 Baotou Tianjin Seimi Powder Company (BTSP)
    • 6.5.5.6 Baotou Research Institute for Rare Earths
    • 6.5.5.7 Baotou Hefa Rare Earths Science & Technology Development Co. Ltd
    • 6.5.5.8 Baotou Jinmeng Rare Earth Co. Ltd
    • 6.5.5.9 Baotou Qitong Rare Earth Company (Qitong)
    • 6.5.5.10 Baotou Rhodia Rare Earths Co. Ltd
    • 6.5.5.11 Baotou Santoku Battery Material Company (BSBM)
    • 6.5.5.12 Gansu Rare Earth New Materials Co. Ltd (GRENM)
  • 6.5.6 Major mining and processing enterprises in Sichuan
    • 6.5.6.1 Mianning Beida Founder Rare Earth Co. Ltd
    • 6.5.6.2 Mianning County Maoyuan Rare Earth Group (MOM)
    • 6.5.6.3 Mianning Fanxing Rare Earth Group
    • 6.5.6.4 Leshan Shenghe Rare Earth Science and Technology
  • 6.5.7 Major rare earth mining and processing enterprises in Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian & Hunan
    • 6.5.7.1 Guangdong Zhujiang Rare Earths Co. Ltd (formerly the Zhujiang Smelter)
    • 6.5.7.2 Guangdong Fuyuan New Material Co. (GFNM)
    • 6.5.7.3 Ganzhou Qiandong Industrial Group (GQD)
    • 6.5.7.4 Ganzhou Zhaori Rare Earth New Materials Co. Ltd
    • 6.5.7.5 Jiangxi Golden Century Advanced Materials (JGC)
    • 6.5.7.6 Jiangxi South Rare Earth Hi-Tech (JSRE)
  • 6.5.8 Major mining and processing enterprises in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong and other provinces
    • 6.5.8.1 Aluminium Corporation of China Group (Chinalco)
    • 6.5.8.2 China Rare Earth Holdings Ltd
    • 6.5.8.3 China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)
    • 6.5.8.4 Liyang Rhodia Founder Rare Earth New Material Co. Ltd
    • 6.5.8.5 Neo Material Technologies Inc. (Neo Materials)
  • 6.5.9 Foreign trade
• 6.6 Estonia
• 6.7 France
  • 6.7.1 Rhodia Electronics and Catalysis
• 6.8 Germany
• 6.9 India
  • 6.9.1 Reserves
  • 6.9.2 Production
    • 6.9.2.1 Indian Rare Earths Ltd. (IRE)
    • 6.9.2.2 Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMM)
    • 6.9.2.3 Mishra Dhatu Nigan Ltd (MIDHANI)
• 6.10 Japan
  • 6.10.1 Leading downstream processors
    • 6.10.1.1 Anan Kasei
    • 6.10.1.2 Hitachi Metals Ltd (formerly Neomax Co. Ltd)
    • 6.10.1.3 Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd (MMS)
    • 6.10.1.4 Nikki Co.
    • 6.10.1.5 Nippon Yttrium Co. Ltd
    • 6.10.1.6 Panasonic EV Energy
    • 6.10.1.7 Santoku Metal Industry Co. Ltd
    • 6.10.1.8 Seimi Chemical Co. Ltd
    • 6.10.1.9 Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd.
    • 6.10.1.10 Showa Denko Ltd
    • 6.10.1.11 Sumikin Molycorp Inc.
  • 6.10.2 Japanese major rare earth consumers
• 6.11 Kazakhstan
• 6.12 Kyrgyzstan
• 6.13 Malawi
• 6.14 Malaysia
• 6.15 Mongolia
• 6.16 North Korea
• 6.17 Russia
  • 6.17.1 Reserves
  • 6.17.2 Production
  • 6.17.3 Russian rare earths trade
• 6.18 Singapore
• 6.19 South Africa
• 6.20 South Korea
  • 6.20.1 Sodiff Advanced Materials
• 6.21 Taiwan
• 6.22 Thailand
• 6.23 United Kingdom
  • 6.23.1 Leading processing companies
    • 6.23.1.1 Less Common Metals
    • 6.23.1.2 Optical Surface Technologies
• 6.24 USA
  • 6.24.1 Reserves
  • 6.24.2 Mine production
  • 6.24.3 Foreign trade
  • 6.24.4 Processing companies
    • 6.24.4.1 Chevron Mining Inc. (formerly Molycorp Inc.)
    • 6.24.4.2 WR Grace and Co. Ltd
    • 6.24.4.3 Altair Nanotechnologies Inc.
    • 6.24.4.4 Palm International Inc.
    • 6.24.4.5 Rhodia Electronics and Catalysis (Rhodia)
    • 6.24.4.6 Santoku America Inc.
• 6.25 Vietnam

7. World consumption

• 7.1 Rare earths classification
• 7.2 Global consumption
• 7.3 Rare earth consumption by market-sector
  • 7.3.1 Catalysts
  • 7.3.2 Glass
  • 7.3.3 Polishing
  • 7.3.4 Metallurgical applications
  • 7.3.5 Magnets
  • 7.3.6 Phosphors and pigments
  • 7.3.7 Ceramics
  • 7.3.8 Other applications
• 7.4 Major geographical markets
  • 7.4.1 China
  • 7.4.2 Japan and South East Asia
  • 7.4.3 USA
• 7.5 Future consumption of rare earths

8. Consumption by end-use

• 8.1 Consumption: Characteristics
  • 8.1.1 Lanthanum
  • 8.1.2 Cerium
  • 8.1.3 Praseodymium
  • 8.1.4 Neodymium
  • 8.1.5 Samarium
  • 8.1.6 Europium
  • 8.1.7 Gadolinium
  • 8.1.8 Terbium
  • 8.1.9 Dysprosium
  • 8.1.10 Holmium
  • 8.1.11 Erbium
  • 8.1.12 Ytterbium
  • 8.1.13 Lutetium
  • 8.1.14 Yttrium
• 8.2 Catalysts
  • 8.2.1 Autocatalysts
    • 8.2.1.1 Function of rare earths in autocatalysts for petrol fuelled vehicles
    • 8.2.1.2 Market for autocatalysts for petroleum fuelled vehicles and demand for rare earths
    • 8.2.1.3 The market for catalytic control of diesel fuelled vehicles
    • 8.2.1.4 Role of oxygen sensors in autocatalysts
    • 8.2.1.5 Regional markets for autocatalysts
    • 8.2.1.6 Alternatives to autocatalysts
    • 8.2.1.7 Current and future technical developments
    • 8.2.1.8 Current and future demand for rare earths in autocatalysts
  • 8.2.2 Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts
    • 8.2.2.1 Future consumption of FCCs
  • 8.2.3 Minor catalytic uses for rare earths
  • 8.2.4 Future consumption of rare earths in catalysts
• 8.3 Glass
  • 8.3.1 Display panels
    • 8.3.1.1 Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs)
    • 8.3.1.2 Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)
    • 8.3.1.3 Plasma Display Panels (PDPs)
  • 8.3.2 Glass stabilisation
  • 8.3.3 Ultra Violet Cut Glass
  • 8.3.4 Glass decolourising
  • 8.3.5 Glass colourising
  • 8.3.6 Other applications for rare earths in glass
    • 8.3.6.1 Optical glass
    • 8.3.6.2 Fluorescence
    • 8.3.6.3 Radiation shielding
    • 8.3.6.4 Glass coating
    • 8.3.6.5 Speciality glass production
  • 8.3.7 Future consumption of rare earths by the glass industry
• 8.4 Polishing
  • 8.4.1 CRT and LCD polishing
  • 8.4.2 Optical glass polishing
  • 8.4.3 Mirrors and flat glass polishing
  • 8.4.4 Polishing of electronic and computer components
  • 8.4.5 Major polishing powder producers
    • 8.4.5.1 China
    • 8.4.5.2 Japan
    • 8.4.5.3 Europe
    • 8.4.5.4 South Korea
    • 8.4.5.5 USA
  • 8.4.6 Future consumption of rare earths for polishing
• 8.5 Metallurgical applications
  • 8.5.1 Steel
    • 8.5.1.1 High strength, low alloy steels
    • 8.5.1.2 Stainless steels
    • 8.5.1.3 Other steels
  • 8.5.2 Cast iron
    • 8.5.2.1 The use of rare earths in ductile cast iron
    • 8.5.2.2 Ferro silicon magnesium
  • 8.5.3 Magnesium alloys
  • 8.5.4 Aluminium alloys
  • 8.5.5 Galfan
  • 8.5.6 Superalloys
    • 8.5.6.1 Oxide dispersion strengthened alloys
  • 8.5.7 Lighter flints
  • 8.5.8 Rare earth metal hydrides
    • 8.5.8.1 Nickel metal hydride batteries
    • 8.5.8.2 Other applications for rare earth-nickel metal hydrides
  • 8.5.9 Future consumption of rare earths for metallurgical applications
• 8.6 Magnets
  • 8.6.1 Use of rare earths in magnets
  • 8.6.2 Production and markets for magnets
    • 8.6.2.1 China
    • 8.6.2.2 Japan
    • 8.6.2.3 Other Countries
  • 8.6.3 Future consumption of rare earths in magnets
• 8.7 Phosphors and Pigments
  • 8.7.1 Phosphors
    • 8.7.1.1 Fluorescent lighting
    • 8.7.1.2 Display tubes and panels
    • 8.7.1.3 Other lamps
    • 8.7.1.4 Medical radiography
    • 8.7.1.5 Signs and Signals
    • 8.7.1.6 Other uses for rare earth phosphors
  • 8.7.2 Pigments
  • 8.7.3 Future consumption of rare earths in phosphors and pigments
• 8.8 Ceramics
  • 8.8.1 Refractories
  • 8.8.2 Electrical and electronic ceramics
    • 8.8.2.1 Ceramic capacitors
    • 8.8.2.2 Fuel cells
    • 8.8.2.3 Humidity sensors
    • 8.8.2.4 Collision sensors
    • 8.8.2.5 Hydrogen production
    • 8.8.2.6 Electro-optic ceramics
  • 8.8.3 Engineering ceramics
    • 8.8.3.1 Partially stabilised zirconia (PSZ)
  • 8.8.4 SiAlONs
    • 8.8.4.1 Uses of SiAlON
  • 8.8.5 Silicon nitride
    • 8.8.5.1 Hot pressed silicon nitride
    • 8.8.5.2 Sintered silicon nitride
    • 8.8.5.3 Ceramic bearings
  • 8.8.6 Consumption of rare earths in ceramic applications
• 8.9 Fertilisers
• 8.10 Other applications
  • 8.10.1 Lasers
    • 8.10.1.1 Rare earth-doped lasers
    • 8.10.1.2 Consumption of rare earths in lasers
  • 8.10.2 Superconductors
  • 8.10.3 Optical fibres
  • 8.10.4 Nuclear uses
    • 8.10.4.1 Burnable poisons
    • 8.10.4.2 Neutron absorbers
    • 8.10.4.3 Neutron radiography
    • 8.10.4.4 Target materials
    • 8.10.4.5 Control armplates
    • 8.10.4.6 Paint additives
    • 8.10.4.7 Measurement of nuclear ground stress
  • 8.10.5 Magnetostrictive alloys
  • 8.10.6 Jewellery
  • 8.10.7 Electron microscopes
  • 8.10.8 Microwave applications
  • 8.10.9 Magnetic refrigeration
  • 8.10.10 Medical uses
  • 8.10.11 Textiles
  • 8.10.12 Cement additive
  • 8.10.13 Mirrors
  • 8.10.14 Propulsion jets
  • 8.10.15 Geology
  • 8.10.16 Paints and coatings
  • 8.10.17 Solar energy systems
  • 8.10.18 Algae Control
  • 8.10.19 Potential new commercial applications for rare earths
  • 8.10.20 Future demand for rare earths in other applications

9. International trade in rare earths

• 9.1 Trade in rare earth concentrates
• 9.2 Trade in rare earth chemicals and metals
• 9.3 Conclusions from trade statistics

10. Rare earth prices

• 10.1 Historical development of rare earths prices
• 10.2 Price history during the past twenty years
• 10.3 Prices for rare earth ores and concentrates
• 10.4 Prices for intermediate compounds
• 10.5 Prices of rare earth oxides
• 10.6 Prices of rare earth metals
• 10.7 Estimated value of global rare earths market
• 10.8 Prices of downstream rare earth products