Rare Earth elements

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about REE

The rare earth elements (REE) are used in a wide range of applications, including clean energy technologies. Their unique properties make them indispensable in applications such as permanent magnets, catalysts, as polishing agents and other uses. Rare earth permanent magnets constitute the leading end-use market with a global demand share in 2020 of 29% (Figure 1).

Further information on rare earth elements:

Rare earth element profile

Figure 1: REE demand in 2020 by end-use sector. Data from IRENA (2022)

Table 1: Rare earth element groups: light and heavy rare earths

Rare earth elements are subdivided into two groups based on their chemical properties (Table 1). Scandium (Sc), is sometimes classed as a rare earth element, however it has different properties which set it apart from this group.

The key elements for the manufacture of permanent magnets are neodymium (Nd), dysprosium (Dy), praseodymium (Pr) and terbium (Tb), used in Nd(±Dy±Tb±Pr)-Fe-B magnets, and samarium (Sm) which is used in Sm-Co magnets.

It is important to note that deposits of individual REE don't occur in nature; however, some deposit types can be more LREE or HREE enriched.