Rare Earth Elements: Procurement, Application, and Reclamation

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1051724· OSTI ID:1051724

Romero, Jared L. ^[1]; McCord, Samuel Adam ^[1]

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1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

With the ongoing technological advances in electronics, vehicles, and national defense systems, the demand for Rare Earth Elements has increased exponentially. “Rare Earth Elements: Procurement, Applications, and Reclamation” will explain what Rare Earth Elements are and their unique characteristics, how they are obtained, and the processes needed to prepare the elements for specific usage, such as in powder metallurgy. It also discusses the locations of the mines used to acquire the elements and the political implications associated with the locations. It discusses the utilizations of these elements in various fields of technology and the need for more of these elements as such technology continues to advance. It also considers the possibility of reclaiming the used or worn out elements and reutilizing them in the future; highlighting the companies that have started to recycle the elements, reducing the demand for newly mined elements. Finally, it depicts the idea that reclamation of Rare Earth Elements will become a necessity and a benefit, both on a small and large scale, in the near future.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 1051724
• Report Number(s): SAND--2012-6316
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English