"Industrial vitamin" rare earth is used in various fields of modern industrial system. As an important strategic resource, it is widely used in military, metallurgical industry, petrochemical industry, glass ceramics and agriculture. With the development of new technology and the rise of a new round of industrial revolution, the strategic position of rare earth is more prominent, which is closely related to the national economy, technology and core competitiveness.
01
·Rare earth is not soil
Although there is a word "Earth" in the name, rare earth is not earth, but the general name of 17 metal elements in the periodic table of lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium. 15 of them are lanthanides (light green below).
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
In 1794, Finnish chemist gadolin first discovered "yttrium". At that time, it was considered that the stock of this mineral in the earth's crust was very small, and only a small amount of water-insoluble oxide could be obtained by chemical method, so it was called rare earth.
From the birth of yttrium to the final separation of promethium in 1947, all 17 rare earth elements came to light after more than 150 years.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Source: National Geographic of China, issue 12, 2019
Researchers gradually found that rare earths are not "rare". In 2019, the global rare earth reserves were 120 million tons. Compared with the current output of the global rare earth market, although rare earth resources are precious, they are not scarce. In terms of abundance in the earth's crust, the highest cerium is close to copper, and the lowest lutetium is 200 times higher than gold.
However, the highly enriched rare earth elements and economically valuable mineral deposits still need various conditions and natural coincidence.
02
·The magical power of rare earth
Although rare earth is called Earth, it can be used in high-tech fields. Whether it is a high-temperature superconducting material that can produce magnetic levitation effect, a "permanent magnet" with long-term magnetic effect, or even a "magnetostrictive alloy" whose shape will change in the magnetic field, it is inseparable from rare earth.
The 17 rare earth family members are like 17 "gourd babies" on a vine. From the wonderful optical and electrical characteristics, to magnetic and nuclear endowments, and even the unique electronic layer structure, everyone has unique skills.
Rare earth has the effect of "turning stone into gold". The properties of steel, iron, magnesium, aluminum and other alloys added with rare earth are greatly optimized, becoming stronger, lighter and more corrosion-resistant.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Lanthanum (L á n) is the boss of "gourd baby". As early as the 1930s, when lanthanum was added to optical glass, it was found that the refractive index of the glass increased. Therefore, this kind of glass with special optical properties is called "lanthanum glass".
Lanthanum glass with high refractive index used to be the darling of the optical industry. In the early Gulf War, the night vision instrument with lanthanum became the source of the overwhelming advantage of U.S. tanks.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Similarly, as a rare earth element, adding cerium (SH ì) to glass has very different effects. Cerium glass not only absorbs ultraviolet rays, but also prevents infrared rays, which can cut off the rolling heat flow in summer.
Neodymium (n) ǚ）  With its unique position in the field of rare earth, elements have become the focus of market attention for many years. The advent of "NdFeB permanent magnet" has injected new vitality and vitality into the field of rare earth high technology. NdFeB magnets have high magnetic energy product and are known as the "king of permanent magnets" in modern times. They play a great role in accurate navigation and capture locks to adapt to the harsh conditions of space.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Different forms of Nd-Fe-B
Gadolinium (g á) can be used as an inhibitor of nuclear reactors and is the "God of safety" for nuclear applications; Erbium（ ě r) It has outstanding optical properties and is the escort of optical fiber information highway; Thulium (DI) ū）  It is a good helper for medical diagnosis and treatment of tumors.
In recent years, China accounts for a large proportion of the global consumption of rare earth resources, accounting for 57% of the total global consumption, followed by Japan and the United States. Taking the consumption structure of China and the United States as an example, due to the rapid development of new energy vehicle industry, rare earth permanent magnet occupies a very high share in the total consumption of rare earth products.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Figure source: current situation, problems and Countermeasures of China's rare earth market
The consumption of rare earth products is closely related to the development of rare earth industry. Its consumption field can be divided into traditional field and new rare earth materials field. The change trend of rare earth consumption structure in these fields in China from 1987 to 2018 is shown in the figure below.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Figure source: Analysis on the current situation and trend of rare earth consumption structure in China
The fields of aerospace and military industry are also the highlights of rare earth applications. Rare earth permanent magnet is used as the core material for aerospace navigation equipment; Solar cell arrays, optical observation equipment and sensors all use rare earth materials. Rare earth alloy is used in aerospace, reducing the weight of spacecraft parts and components, and greatly reducing the energy consumption of hatch structure.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
03
·Changes in the international pattern of rare earth
"There is oil in the Middle East and rare earth in China". In the 1970s and 1990s, China's rare earth reserves accounted for 80% - 90% of the world, which left a deep impression on countless people.
Bayan Obo in Inner Mongolia, the "hometown of rare earths", accounts for more than 90% of the country's total rare earth reserves. It is the largest rare earth mine in the world.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Miniature model of Bayan Obo mining area
From 1978 to 2013, China's rare earth consumption demand increased by more than 80 times, becoming the world's first consumer of rare earth products. Against this background, the global share of China's rare earth reserves has declined sharply, from 90% to 37% in 2019. In the future, this proportion data is likely to continue to decrease.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Figure source: current situation, problems and Countermeasures of China's rare earth market
Historically, the supply center of the world's rare earth resources has shifted twice. The first suppliers were Brazil, India and Australia. In 1949, the mountain pass rare earth mine in California was discovered, making the United States the world's largest rare earth supply source in the mid-20th century.
Later, with the discovery of China's rare earth resources and industrial development, China gradually replaced it after 1986.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Source: National Geographic of China, issue 12, 2019
In recent years, with the continuous improvement of the strategic value of rare earth, there has been a wave of ore hunting fever in the world. New rare earth mines have been discovered in the Far East of Russia, India, Australia, Canada, Vietnam, as well as Greenland and Afghanistan deserts in the Arctic circle. Some countries that were originally unknown on the rare earth "card table" have also become "resource upstarts".
About 30 countries and regions around the world have rare earth resources. It can be predicted that in the future, the global rare earth pattern will no longer be the super resource power model of "one branch alone", but is showing a diversified change pattern of "competing for hegemony".
Behind the rare earth is a huge and long industrial chain and industrial cluster. The higher the scientific and technological content, the higher the economic added value. In the international rare earth industry chain, China's rare earth industry is in the low-end trend.
China can produce more than 400 varieties and more than 1000 specifications of rare earth products, but 80% of them are medium and low-end products, especially in the downstream high-precision and cutting-edge application fields, which still lags far behind countries such as the United States and Japan.
New knowledge, popular science: "ace" rare earth world pattern
Source: National Geographic of China, issue 12, 2019
Facing the technological monopoly of developed countries, what they need is only the generation and processing of rare earth raw materials. China's low value-added rare earth products are difficult to have a voice in pricing, and the value is seriously depressed. The lack of voice will make the production and operation activities of rare earth industry rely on the market change trend and be in a passive position.
In the international game, in addition to rare earth reserves, there is also a competition of strength in rare earth industry and application. It can be said that China is a "rare earth power", but there is still a long way to go to become a "rare earth power".