Drafting Science, Feb 5 (Efeverde) .- Rare and strategic mineral terms have appeared these days in the media linked to two international events, the commercial conflict between China and the United States and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But what are they, what are they used and why are they in the debate?
Rare earths are not really “lands”, but a set of 17 chemical elements that share many properties and usually meet together, explain sources consulted by EFE.
These elements are important because they are on many devices that are frequently used such as touch screens, solar panels, electric vehicles and even in euro tickets, to which they are added to avoid falsifications.
The term “Earth” actually refers to oxides. It is an ancient name that is already in disuse but that is maintained in the case of rare earths for merely historical reasons, so you have to avoid confusion, they clarify the same sources.
The Illustrious Official College of Geologists collects on its website that rare earths include 17 chemical elements: the Scandio, the ititrium and the 15 elements of the Lantanids group.
The lanthanids are: Lantano, Cerio, Paseodimio, Neodimio, Prometio, Samario, Europio, Gadolinio, Terbio, Disposio, Holmio, Erbio, Tulio, Iterbio and Luthate. The Scandio and the ititrium are included among the rare earths because they are frequently mixed with the lanthanides in the same deposits.
Its main value is found in its exceptional magnetic, luminescent and electrochemical properties, exploited in various sectors and present in such daily as headphones, protective sensors or glasses, points out on the other hand the Mapfre Global Risks website.
Although its industrial exploitation has been carried out in the last fifty years, they began to isolate between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The importance of these elements was revealed in the recent statements of US President Donald Trump. Specifically, on Monday he said that Ukraine wants Ukraine to the US.
“We are telling the Ukrainians who have very valuable rare earths. We want what we offer to guarantee in some way. We want a guarantee,” Trump told the press in the Oval Office of the White House, insisting that Ukraine should give Something to Washington in exchange for the help it provides.
This Wednesday, the economist of the Center for Economic Strategy of Ukraine Volodimir Landa, told Efe that interest in Ukrainian minerals can help the country achieve just and lasting peace.
“If we have more foreign companies in Ukraine their governments will be interested in more than a high temporal fire and this would reduce the probabilities of a new Russian aggression,” added Landa, who was also an advisor to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.
President Volodimir Zelenski has already proposed to give access to these Ukrainian minerals to receive more solid support during the meeting he held with Trump in September. This idea is also one of the proposals included in its ‘Plan for Victory’.
Zelenski on Tuesday reiterated his availability to this exchange by declaring that it is “totally fair” that Trump wants to benefit from these Ukrainian resources.
Strategic substances
Rare earths usually appear in the lists of strategic substances that elaborate the different countries, this, the raw materials that they consider fundamental for their industry.
China announced on Tuesday export controls on Wolframium (Tungsten), Telurio, Bismuth, Indian and Molybdenum, essential materials – although not rare earths – for various industries, from defense and electronics to clean energy.
The measure is part of the retaliation that Beijing took to respond to the additional tariffs of 10 % imposed by the US president on Chinese products.
Wolframium is used to manufacture electronic components and aerospace applications due to its high density and melting point, while the telurio is used in the production of solar panels, metal alloys and thermoelectric devices, they collect organisms such as the International Tungsten Industry Asociation or the US Geological Survey.
Meanwhile, the bismuth is used in low -melting point alloys, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, and the Indian is essential to make touch screens, solar panels and semiconductors. Molybdenum is key to improving the resistance of steel alloys and electronic components. Efeverde
Cyt-Ra -int/ICN
