Why Is Rare Earth So Important?

Rare earths are widely used in aviation, aerospace, electronic information, steel, non-ferrous metals, machinery manufacturing, petrochemical and other industries. Although the dosage is small, the effect is significant. It plays the role of "vitamin" in modern industry and produces huge radiant economic benefits. In recent years, China has continuously increased its investment in rare-earth research and achieved more and more results. The situation in which intellectual property is constrained by people is changing. For a while, the community was talking about rare earth. So, what are the advantages of rare earth? What are the applications of rare earths? What are the advantages of China's rare earth industry? In response to these issues, the reporter interviewed relevant experts. The Block Neodymium Magnet supplier has compiled some information for your reference.

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In fact, rare earths are widely used in our lives. For example, the bright red color of televisions watched every day comes from the rare earth elements yttrium and yttrium; the cameras carried outside have rare earth elements lanthanum; the mobile phones used every day have rare earth elements neodymium; Steel, non-ferrous metals, machinery manufacturing, petrochemical and other industries are widely used. Although the dosage is small, the effect is significant. It plays the role of "vitamin" in modern industry and produces huge radiant economic benefits.

So, what are the international advantages of China's rare earth industry?

First, resources are dominant. China Merchants Securities analysts said that as of 2018, there were 120 million tons of rare earth reserves in the world, and China had 44 million tons, accounting for 38%. At the same time, medium and heavy rare earths (represented by thorium and thorium), which occupy a more important position in high-precision manufacturing, have unique advantages. At the end of the 1960s, China discovered the world's rare ion-adsorbing rare earth ore in Ganzhou. The ore has the characteristics of complete distribution, high economic value, easy selection, and low radioactivity. Rare earth elements, China's industrial reserves of 1.5 million tons, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province accounted for 36% of them, containing yttrium-rich heavy rare earth mineral resources more unique in the world.

Secondly, it has strong separation and smelting capabilities. According to China Merchants Securities analysts, China holds an absolute leading position in rare earth mining, smelting, separation and purification, and has a strong right to speak. In 2018, the global output of rare earth mineral products was about 195,000 tons, China's output was about 120,000 tons, accounting for 62%; the global rare earth smelting and separating output was about 146,000 tons, of which China's output was 125,000 tons, accounting for 86%. The reporter learned from the Ganzhou Industry and Information Bureau that Ganzhou has been mining and processing ionic rare earth for more than 40 years, and has been leading the field of ionic rare earths in China. Its technology research in the areas of rare earth mining, separation, and metal smelting in the south is at an internationally advanced level. The industrial scale accounts for one third of the national total.

Again, the application chain is continuously extended. With the advantages of resources and smelting separation, China's rare earth industry chain has been continuously extended. Taking the most widely used rare earth neodymium iron boron permanent magnet materials as an example, China's current output of neodymium iron boron is close to 90% of the world. Internal Threaded Pot Magnet of NdFeB also occupies the main market.

"However, we also need to see our shortcomings." Liu Jiaxiang, the former director of the Hunan Rare Earth Research Institute, said that due to the late start of China's rare earth technology research, it has been "stuck first" in many fields by foreign countries. In many rare earth products, Although the production capacity is the largest, the technology patents are basically foreign. For example, in the field of permanent magnet materials, where rare earths are most widely used, domestic companies producing permanent magnet motors not only have to pay patent fees, but are also restricted by the number of exports stipulated in the agreement. In recent years, China has continuously increased its investment in rare-earth research and achieved more and more results. The situation in which intellectual property is constrained by people is changing.