China bans export of rare earth technologies
- December 23, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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China bans export of rare earth technologies
Subject : Geography
Section: Economic Geography
Context:
- China, the world’s top processor of rare earths, banned the export of technology to extract and separate the strategic metals, as it overhauled a list of technologies deemed key to national security.
Details:
- It also banned the export of production technology for rare earth metals and alloy materials as well as technology to prepare some rare earth magnets.
- The move comes as Europe and the U.S. scramble to wean themselves off rare earths from China, which accounts for 90% of global refined output.
- Top 5 REE producing countries: China, the USA, Australia, Myanmar and Thailand.
Rare Earth Elements (REE):
- These are a set of 17 chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically the 15 lanthanides plus scandium (Atomic Number 21) and Yttrium (Atomic Number 39).
- The Lanthanide series comprises the 15 metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers 57 through 71, from lanthanum through lutetium.
- Scandium and yttrium are considered rare-earth elements because they tend to occur in the same ore deposits as the lanthanides and exhibit similar chemical properties, but have different electronic and magnetic properties.
- Cerium (AN 58) is the most abundant rare earth metal.
- Their colour ranges from Shiny Silver to Iron Gray. They are soft, malleable, ductile and usually reactive, especially at elevated temperatures or when finely divided.
- Its application ranges from Civilian (smartphones, laptops, petroleum refining catalysts) to military including nuclear applications. Rare minerals that are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines and drones.
- China has the largest reserve (37 percent), followed by Brazil and Vietnam (18 percent each), Russia (15 percent), and the remaining countries (12 percent). Deng Xiaoping once said, The Middle East has oil and China has rare earth.
- Why are these elements called RARE?
- There is no shortage of rare earths. But their extraction is difficult (Requires high skill, Capital intensive, Environmental issues).