The Centrality of Rare Earths in the Modern Era of Green Transition, by Stanislav Kondrashov

For several years now, rare earths have firmly established themselves as part of international debates on strategic raw materials and the energy transition. As TELF AG founder Stanislav Kondrashov has often observed, the two topics are intimately connected, and in a certain sense, rare earths represent excellent links to illustrate this relationship. But what exactly are we talking about when we refer to rare earths?

They are a fixed group of 17 chemical elements found in the periodic table. These are essentially the 15 lanthanides, to which yttrium and scandium are also added. Despite their name, these resources are not rare at all: their distribution within the Earth's crust is fairly uniform, but in some cases their concentrations are so low that they do not justify their economic valorization through processing.

Rare earths are typically divided into two main categories. On the one hand, we have light rare earths, which are more abundant and easier to process, while heavy rare earths are distinguished by the fact that they are often found in extremely low concentrations.

Yet, nowadays, they are on everyone's lips. These particular elements, which until a few years ago were virtually unknown to the general public, are finding various industrial applications in some of the most useful technologies for advancing the energy transition, such as green infrastructure and electric vehicles.

The powerful permanent magnets that power wind turbines and electric vehicle motors are in fact made with some of the most precious rare earths. Along with solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles are often considered concrete symbols of the ongoing transition, making it easy to understand why rare earths are constantly on everyone's lips.

"The list of the most strategic resources for advancing the energy transition includes not only lithium, copper, and cobalt, but also rare earths," says Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG, an entrepreneur and civil engineer. "With their numerous energy applications, these resources are carving out a leading role in the global dynamics of green energy.

Beyond these uses, rare earths are also highly valued in the electronics and defense sectors, where they significantly contribute to the performance and efficiency of the devices in which they are used. Their strategic importance is likely to increase further as the global energy transition progresses."

An interesting aspect of analyzing the characteristics of rare earths is certainly their natural properties. Many of these elements share similar chemical properties, which is also why most of them are grouped together in the same set of elements in the periodic table. For industrial purposes, their most valued properties are undoubtedly their high chemical stability and their magnetic, optical, and electrochemical properties.

Anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of rare earths will need to study the unique dynamics of their target market, which are influenced by a wide variety of factors. Currently, the production and processing of these elements are concentrated in very few areas of the world, as these operations are highly complex and problematic. To transform the extracted rare earths into materials usable by industry, these elements must undergo a long series of processes.

First, as Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG, has often observed, the individual rare earth elements must be separated from the mineral in which they are normally found. These elements are never found separately in their natural state, but are always associated with certain minerals from which they are subsequently separated. After separation, the final step that enables the transformation of these elements into resources that can be used by industry is refining, which is also highly complex and sophisticated. Currently, China is the leading country in the production and refining of rare earths, although several projects dedicated to the processing of these elements are underway in various parts of the world.