The Balance Problem and its Relevance to Recycling of Rare Earths

Invited lecture given by Koen BinnemansThe balance between the demand by the economic markets and the natural abundances of the rare-earths elements (REEs) in ores is a major problem for manufacturers of these elements. This is the balance problem.1 The ideal situation is a perfect match between the demand and production of REEs, so that there are no surpluses of any of the REEs. This would result in the lowest market price for any of the REEs, because the production costs are shared by all the elements. Neodymium is high in demand for NdFeB magnets and this results in an overproduction of other REEs (e.g. cerium). The industry has to find new applications for REEs that are available in excess, or to search for substitutions for REEs that have limited availability and that are high in demand. REE markets are permanently changing. Diversification of the REE ores can be a partial solution As long as the rare earths were used as mixtures the balance problem was not existing. So far, the balance problem has mainly been considered from the viewpoint of REE ores, and not from the viewpoint of REE recycling. It will be shown that REE recycling is not only of importance for securing the REE supply, but that is also offers a partial solution for the balance problem.2,3 References (1) P. Falconnet, J. Less-Common Met. 111, 9 (1985). (2) K. Binnemans et al., J. Clean. Prod. 51, 1-22 (2013). (3) K. Binnemans et al., JOM 65, 846–848 (2013).status: publishe