Rare Earths: Essential metals for technological and ecological transition

Michel
4 days ago
3 min read

Definition of rare earths

Various rare earth minerals in powdered and solid form, displayed in different colors and textures on a white background — Rare earths

Rare earths, also known as rare earth elements or metals, consist of 17 chemical elements: the 15 lanthanides, plus scandium and yttrium. Although their name may be misleading, they are not actually that rare, some are even more abundant than copper in the Earth's crust. However, they are rarely concentrated in exploitable deposits, making their extraction and purification complex and costly.

Classification of rare earths

Rare earths are generally divided into two subgroups based on their atomic number and chemical properties:

Light rare earths: lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm).
Heavy rare earths: europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), yttrium (Y), and scandium (Sc).

This classification is significant because heavy rare earths are generally rarer, more difficult to separate, and more strategic for certain high-tech industrial applications.

The term "rare earths" comes from a mistranslation of the English rare-earth elements, which could be interpreted as "rare elements of the Earth" or "elements rare on Earth."

Properties and applications of rare earths

Rare earth metals, known for their shiny, silvery appearance and soft texture, play a key role in many industrial sectors. They are used in a wide range of technologies, including electronic devices (such as magnets, lasers, screens, and batteries), clean energy systems (like wind turbines and electric vehicle motors), as well as in defense and medical imaging (including MRI machines).

Although each device contains only small amounts of these metals, the rapid growth in the number of technological products since the 2010s has led to a significant rise in global demand. As a result, ensuring a stable supply of these materials has become increasingly important.

A global geopolitical challenge

A stylized map of China in bright red with several wooden blocks stacked on top, each labeled with symbols of rare earth elements (e.g., La, Ce, Gd, Dy, Er, Eu, etc.). Small Chinese flags are planted among the blocks, and tiny figurines of workers or miners are placed around the map, symbolizing industrial or geopolitical control. The scene emphasizes China’s dominance in the global supply of rare earth elements. — China dominates the global supply of rare earth elements

In 2023, China controlled around 69% of global rare earth extraction. The European Union, which depends on China for 98% of its supply, is actively seeking to diversify its sources of supply. Although countries like Australia, Canada, and the United States have deposits, many have abandoned their extraction due to economic or environmental reasons.

In response to this dependency, initiatives are multiplying around the recycling and reuse of rare earths contained in electronic waste. However, the global recycling rate for these metals remains below 1% for at least half of them (Bihouix, 2023).

Marie Perrin: Innovation for the circular economy

It is within this tense and strategic context that the innovation of the young French chemist Marie Perrin stands out. Recently named among the top 10 young innovators in Europe by the European Patent Office, Perrin, at only 28 years old, founded the start-up Reecover, which develops a method for recycling rare earths from compact fluorescent bulbs, particularly europium.

A promotional visual for the "REEcover" initiative. On the right side, large bold text reads “REEcover. Let’s start the reevolution together.” with emphasis on “REE” and “reevolution” in gold color. Below is a circular photo of Marie Perrin, labeled as a PhD student at ETH Zürich and president of the young Swiss Chemical Society. — Reecover extracts and recycles rare earth elements from electronic waste

Europium, known for its luminescent properties, is used in neon lights, LEDs, and screens. Since its natural extraction is costly, Perrin offers a sustainable alternative through a three steps process:

Recovery of the white luminescent powder contained in the bulbs.
Dissolution of this powder in acid to extract the rare earths.
Addition of a highly selective extracting compound to efficiently isolate europium.

This "cleaner, faster, and more sustainable" technology represents a major advancement for rare earth recycling, especially since it allows for the reuse of the extractant, making the process circular. Marie Perrin thus represents a new generation of innovators working towards a more resilient economy, less dependent on global supply chains, and fully committed to the goals of sustainable development.

Rethinking innovation: Balancing technology and sustainability

Reecover’s work shows the urgent need to change how we extract and use key raw materials. By turning waste into valuable resources and using cleaner, more efficient methods, the start-up is helping build a new sector focused on recycling rare earths. This is a vital step as the world moves toward cleaner energy and greater control over its technology supply chains.

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