Science Focus
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Rare earth metals are absolutely critical to modern life. Fiber optic communications require erbium. Neodymium is a critical component in modern permanent magnets. Without a steady supply of rare earth metals, we would find ourselves in some difficulty, and things may get even more critical in the future—quantum memory may lie in the hands of praseodymium.
Despite this need for rare earth metals, pretty much the entire supply comes from one country: China. In 2010, politicians finally noticed this, as China started restricting its export. In response, a team of researchers from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have been investigating our ability to recycle rare earth metals.
China's open-pit mines
In an apparent response to environmental pressure, China began to restrict the exportation of rare earth metals in 2010. At the time, China controlled 95 percent of the market. Manufacturers were rocked by the price fluctuations, eventually complaining to the World Trade Organization in an effort to stabilize supply. Even if you're suspicious of China's true motives, mining rare earths is a dirty job, involving some pretty vicious acids, bases, solvents—and the whole process raises the risk of miners breathing in a serious amount of radioactive dust. So whatever China's underlying motive was, cleaning up the mining industry is a good thing.
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