![\"Rare](\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/rare-earth.jpg\")
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Powerful permanent magnets made from Rare Earth Elements (REEs) give us cheaper, lighter and more efficient generators and motors for wind turbines and electric cars.<\/p>\r\n
Australia is the world’s 4th largest producer with 8% of REE production. \u00a0But China is the rare earth element elephant, with 60% of the world’s supply.\u00a0 Their share of production used to be up around 95%, but after trying to hike the price in 2009 other countries — including Australia — started mining for REE.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Because China’s attempt to raise prices failed, you might think people would feel relaxed about how secure the supply is, but this isn’t the case1<\/a><\/sup>. Spurred by rising prices, governments and companies are continuing to work on diversifying REE production.\u00a0 To this end, last month Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australian taxpayers will contribute $30 million to Arafura Resources<\/a> to build a rare earth elements separation facility near Aileron in the Northern territory.\u00a0 This is an early step in a plan to develop REE mining and refining capability of around 200,000 tonnes<\/a> per year at a cost of around $1.4 billion2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\r\n If you’re one of the rare but down to earth types who want to learn more about rare earth elements, keep reading and I’ll cover…<\/p>\r\n Voltaire<\/a>, famously mocked the Holy Roman Empire<\/a> for being neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire3<\/a><\/sup>.\u00a0 But he could never make a similar jibe about rare earth elements because, while they aren’t rare, they can technically be called earths, they are definitely elements, and two out of three ain’t bad<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Rare earth elements are not rare.\u00a0 I may be sitting above a heap right now, as this map<\/a> shows:<\/p>\r\n South Australia’s earths range from rare to downright freaky.<\/p><\/div>\r\n Because they’re not rare, there’s no conceivable scenario where we build enough permanent magnets to run out of REEs.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n But the hard part is finding concentrations high enough to be worth mining.\u00a0 While South Australia has far more rare earth elements deposits than the rest of the country combined, so far no one has found any they consider worth mining, as the coloured triangles Geosciences Australia jammed into these circles show:<\/p>\r\n South Australia has a whole heap of rare earth elements, but they just aren’t considered economical to extract.<\/p><\/div>\r\n For the most part, REEs are socially awkward elements that don’t like forming concentrated deposits. \u00a0So far, the only really rich one is in southern Jiangxi in China.\u00a0 Every other country that wants to mine rare earth elements has to make do with the least worst deposits available. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n This means China is likely to always be the lowest-cost producer.\u00a0 This is why they were producing around 95% of world supply in 2009 before deciding to crank up the price.\u00a0 So, while Australia has plenty of okay deposits, like everywhere else in the world that isn’t southern Jiangxi, they’re not great.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n This graph is from Statista<\/a> and shows REE production by nation.\u00a0 The International Energy Agency figures have Australia producing considerably more, but I consider these more accurate.<\/p><\/div>\r\n Rare earth elements are metals.\u00a0 Normally, we don’t think of metals as earths or dirt, but chemists aren’t normal people.\u00a0 (They’re extraordinary people.)\u00a0 If you pick up a random handful of dry dirt then, depending on where you are, it can be over 10% metals such as calcium4<\/a><\/sup>, aluminium, magnesium, iron, sodium, and so on.\u00a0 So, according to chemists, metal compounds can be earths.<\/p>\r\n To prove rare earth elements are elements, I will show you the Periodic Table of Elements.\u00a0 But not the one you’re used to.\u00a0 I’m going to show you the real Periodic Table.\u00a0 The secret one your school teachers kept hidden from you.<\/p>\r\n Here it is:<\/p>\r\n Ew!\u00a0 Now I see it, I realize why they kept it hidden.\u00a0 That’s way too wide and far too difficult to read5<\/a><\/sup>.\u00a0 I think I’ll stick with the traditional periodic table, which sticks the long thin bit on the left under the table:<\/p>\r\n As you can probably tell, I got this Periodic table from PubChem.\u00a0 It’s like a more educational version of PUBG<\/a>, except fluorine is OP because it kills everything\u00a0 — especially devs who try to nerf it.<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n
Rare and<\/em> Earths and<\/em> Elements? 2 Out Of 3 Ain’t Bad<\/h2>\r\n
Rare? \u274c<\/h2>\r\n
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Earths? ?<\/h2>\r\n
Elements? \u2705<\/h2>\r\n
![\"Original](\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/rare_realtable.jpg\")
<\/p>\r\n![\"Conventional](\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/rare_pubch.jpg\")