Rare Earth Elements (REE) is the collective name for 17 chemically similar metallic elements. The REE are essential raw materials for a wide range of applications, including metallurgy (metal refining and metal alloying), catalysts in the automotive and the petro-chemical industry, colouring of glass/ceramics, phosphors (LEDs, compact fluorescent lamps, flat panel displays), lasers, rechargeable solid state batteries (Ni-MH), fibre optics and others.
Nb has a wide use in industrial materials used for alloys with requirements for extra strength such pipelines, jet engines and heat resistant equipment but also in medical applications such as pacemakers and prosthetics because of its hypoallergenic properties.
Tantalum is used in the electronics industry for capacitors and high power resistors. It is also used to make alloys to increase strength, ductility and corrosion resistance. The metal is used in dental and surgical instruments and implants, as it causes no immune response.
Uranium is mainly used as fuel in nuclear power reactors for electricity generation. Beyond providing about 14% of the world’s electricity, there are many major other uses of uranium through the production of radio-isotopes, including: medicine, food-processing, industrial X-ray equipment, space industry, etc.
Molybdenum is used as glass furnace electrodes due to its high melting point. It is also used in the petroleum industry, to catalyze the removal of organic sulfur compounds in coal liquification and gas liquification processes.
Titanium is as strong as steel but much less dense. It is therefore important as an alloying agent with many metals including aluminium, molybdenum and iron. These alloys are mainly used in aircraft, spacecraft and missiles because of their low density and ability to withstand extremes of temperature.
Zirconium is a corrosion resistant metal that is used in high performance pumps and valves. Since it also does not easily absorb neutrons, zirconium is widely used in nuclear reactors. The nuclear power industry uses nearly 90% of the zirconium produced each year. It is also used as an alloying agent in steel, to make some types of surgical equipment and as a getter, a material that combines with and removes trace gases from vacuum tubes.
Apart from its main use in jewelry - about 78% of the gold consumed each year is used in the manufacture of jewelry - it is also used in coinage, bullion. In electronics it is used in connectors, switch and relay contacts, soldered joints, connecting wires and connection strips. A small amount of gold is used in almost every sophisticated electronic device and of course in many components in computers.
Cobalt is also used to make alloys for jet engines and gas turbines, magnetic steels and some types of stainless steels. Other uses are in electroplating, rechargeable batteries, orthopedic implants, radiation therapy and nutrition.