GMDC LTD

Critical Minerals are essential natural resources that play a vital role in modern economies, advanced technologies, and the global transition toward clean energy. These minerals are considered critical because they are necessary for key industries, have limited supply sources, and are crucial for economic and national security. As demand for renewable energy, electric vehicles, and high-tech manufacturing continues to rise, the importance of critical minerals has never been greater.

A wide range of Critical Minerals is used in the production of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, semiconductors, and communication technologies. Minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, rare earth elements, and copper are fundamental components in energy storage systems and advanced electronic devices. Their unique properties make them indispensable for developing innovative technologies that support a sustainable future.

The growing adoption of electric vehicles has significantly increased the demand for Critical Minerals. Lithium-ion batteries, which power most electric vehicles, require substantial amounts of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite. As governments and industries work to reduce carbon emissions, the need for these minerals is expected to grow rapidly over the coming decades. This trend is creating new opportunities for mining, processing, and supply chain development across the globe.

In the renewable energy sector, Critical Minerals are equally important. Wind turbines rely on rare earth elements for powerful magnets, while solar energy systems require minerals that enhance efficiency and durability. These resources help improve energy generation, storage, and transmission, making clean energy solutions more effective and accessible.

Securing a stable supply of Critical Minerals has become a strategic priority for many countries. Supply chain disruptions, geopolitical challenges, and increasing demand have highlighted the need for diversified sourcing and responsible resource management. Governments and industries are investing in exploration, recycling technologies, and sustainable mining practices to ensure long-term availability and reduce dependency on limited supply regions.

The advancement of industrial technology depends heavily on high-performance materials and reliable machinery. Among the most essential components supporting modern innovation are Optical glass and Electric motors. These technologies play a crucial role across industries such as healthcare, automotive, manufacturing, telecommunications, and renewable energy. Their contribution to precision, efficiency, and automation has transformed the way businesses operate worldwide.

Optical glass is a specially engineered material designed to provide exceptional clarity, light transmission, and precision. It is widely used in lenses, microscopes, cameras, telescopes, and medical imaging devices. Unlike ordinary glass, optical glass is manufactured with strict quality control to ensure minimal distortion and accurate light refraction. Industries that rely on precision imaging and advanced optical systems depend on high-quality optical glass for reliable performance and superior visual accuracy.

In the healthcare sector, optical glass is essential for diagnostic equipment such as endoscopes, surgical microscopes, and laser devices. Similarly, in telecommunications, fiber optic technology relies on advanced optical materials to transmit data quickly and efficiently over long distances. As demand for high-speed communication and accurate imaging continues to rise, the importance of optical glass technology is increasing rapidly.

At the same time, electric motors serve as the driving force behind countless industrial and commercial applications. Electric motors convert electrical energy into mechanical motion, powering machinery, appliances, vehicles, and automated systems. Their energy efficiency, durability, and low maintenance requirements make them a preferred choice for industries focused on productivity and sustainability.

Electric motors are widely used in manufacturing plants, HVAC systems, electric vehicles, robotics, and renewable energy systems. With the growth of industrial automation and smart technologies, the demand for advanced motor systems continues to expand. Modern electric motors are designed to deliver high performance while reducing energy consumption and operational costs. Variable speed control, compact designs, and smart monitoring capabilities have further improved motor efficiency and reliability.

Introduction

Rare earth elements play a crucial role in modern technology, powering everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. At the heart of this innovation are rare earth magnets, which are produced through rare earth mining, a complex and strategically important process.

What Are Rare Earth Magnets?

Rare earth magnets are powerful permanent magnets made using rare earth elements such as neodymium, samarium, and dysprosium. These magnets are significantly stronger than traditional magnets and are widely used in advanced technologies.

The two most common types include:

Neodymium Magnets (NdFeB): Known for their exceptional strength

Samarium Cobalt Magnets (SmCo): Highly resistant to heat and corrosion

Understanding Rare Earth Mining

Rare earth mining involves extracting rare earth elements from mineral deposits found in the Earth’s crust. These elements are not necessarily rare, but they are difficult to extract economically and environmentally.

The mining process typically includes:

Exploration and extraction of ores

Separation of rare earth elements

Refining and processing into usable materials

Countries like China, the United States, and Australia are key players in this sector.

Applications of Rare Earth Magnets

Rare earth magnets are essential in many industries:

Electronics: Smartphones, speakers, and hard drives

Renewable Energy: Wind turbines and solar systems

Automotive: Electric vehicles and hybrid motors

Defense: Advanced military technologies

Medical Devices: MRI machines and diagnostic equipment

Environmental Impact of Rare Earth Mining

While rare earth mining is vital, it raises environmental concerns:

Land Degradation: Mining activities disrupt ecosystems

Water Pollution: Chemical processing can contaminate water sources

Waste Management Challenges: Toxic byproducts require careful handling

Efforts are being made globally to adopt more sustainable mining practices and recycling technologies.

Future Trends and Opportunities

The demand for rare earth magnets is rapidly increasing due to the global shift toward clean energy and advanced electronics. Key trends include:

Growth in electric vehicle production

Expansion of renewable energy infrastructure

Development of eco-friendly mining techniques

Increased focus on recycling rare earth materials

Conclusion

Rare earth magnets and rare earth mining are at the core of modern technological advancement. Despite environmental challenges, their importance continues to grow as industries evolve toward more sustainable and energy-efficient solutions.

Modern industries rely heavily on advanced materials and efficient machinery to maintain productivity and innovation. Two essential components that contribute significantly to technological development are Optical glass and Electric motors. These elements are widely used across multiple sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, electronics, and renewable energy.

Understanding Optical Glass

Optical glass is a specially manufactured type of glass designed for precise optical applications. Unlike regular glass, optical glass has carefully controlled properties such as refractive index, transparency, and dispersion. These characteristics allow it to manipulate light accurately, making it ideal for use in lenses, microscopes, cameras, telescopes, and other optical instruments.

Optical glass plays a crucial role in industries such as medical imaging, photography, scientific research, and defense technology. High-quality optical components ensure clear imaging and precise measurements, which are essential for both research and industrial operations.

Role of Electric Motors

Electric motors are devices that convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. They are widely used in various applications, from household appliances to large industrial machines. Electric motors power equipment such as pumps, fans, compressors, conveyors, and manufacturing machines.

In industrial settings, electric motors are essential for automation and efficient production processes. They provide reliable performance, reduce manual labor, and improve overall productivity. Modern electric motors are also designed to be energy-efficient, helping industries reduce power consumption and operational costs.

Applications Across Industries

Both Optical glass and Electric motors serve important roles in modern technology. Optical glass is vital for producing high-precision optical instruments used in healthcare equipment, cameras, and laboratory devices. Meanwhile, electric motors drive machinery that enables manufacturing plants and production lines to operate smoothly.

In renewable energy sectors, electric motors are used in wind turbines and solar tracking systems, while optical glass is used in optical sensors and advanced imaging equipment. Together, these components support technological progress and industrial efficiency.

Importance in Technological Advancement

The combination of Optical glass and Electric motors highlights the importance of both material science and mechanical engineering in modern innovation. While optical glass enables precision and clarity in optical devices, electric motors provide the mechanical power required for industrial and technological operations.

Industrial development relies heavily on specialized materials and reliable machinery. Two important contributors to this ecosystem are Optical glass GMDC and Electric motors GMDC, both of which play a significant role in supporting manufacturing, infrastructure, and technology-driven sectors.

Importance of Optical Glass GMDC

Optical glass GMDC is widely recognized for its precision, clarity, and consistency, making it suitable for advanced optical and scientific applications. This type of glass is used in lenses, prisms, microscopes, telescopes, and other optical instruments where accuracy is critical. Its controlled refractive index and low dispersion properties help deliver high-quality imaging and reliable performance.

Industries such as defense, healthcare, research laboratories, and electronics manufacturing depend on optical glass for applications requiring high light transmission and minimal distortion. The availability of Optical glass GMDC supports domestic production and reduces dependency on imports, strengthening industrial self-reliance.

Role of Electric Motors GMDC

Electric motors GMDC are essential for powering a wide range of industrial and commercial operations. These motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy, driving equipment such as pumps, compressors, conveyors, fans, and heavy machinery.

Known for durability and efficiency, Electric motors GMDC are designed to operate under demanding conditions, including continuous loads and variable speeds. They are widely used in mining, manufacturing plants, water treatment facilities, and infrastructure projects. Energy-efficient motor designs also help industries reduce power consumption and operational costs.

Combined Impact on Industry

When Optical glass GMDC and Electric motors GMDC are integrated into industrial systems, they contribute to higher productivity and technological advancement. Optical glass supports precision and innovation, while electric motors ensure reliable motion and power transmission across processes.

Future Outlook

The entire world is dependent on Chinese rare earths for electronics, EVs, defense, chips etc., and China knows this very well.

With every passing day, China is tightening its grip over the supply of critical minerals to other countries. In October 2025, it extended export controls on five more rare earths, requiring exporters to obtain licenses for 12 rare earth minerals now.

Not only the rare earth elements (REEs), but these rules also apply to refined products, super magnets, and related technologies that will be using Chinese rare earths. The Chinese government has adopted a strict no-export policy for military purposes or defense sectors.

Since China controls a major share of the world’s rare earth supply, these new rules will disrupt global supply chains, delay production, and increase China’s dominance in the market, creating a headache for countries and companies that depend on it.

How Other Countries Reduced Their Dependence on China

Japan

In 2010, shocked by China’s incident, Japan showed the entire world a way to reshape global supply chains and reduce reliance on China, with a clear industrial policy supported by sustained investment.

Post the incident, Tokyo approved a $1.2 billion supplemental budget to secure rare earths for the country. By the next decade, it reduced its Chinese rare earth imports from 90% to approximately 60% by developing domestic expertise in high-end magnet manufacturing and investing in cutting-edge research on alternative materials.

It also expanded recycling of rare earths from end-of-life products and created new global alliances.

South Korea

South Korea also realized in time its vulnerability in both REEs and permanent magnets. So, it created strategic partnerships with Vietnam and other ASEAN countries in 2025.

The alliance with Vietnam has helped Korea secure its neodymium imports and boost permanent magnet production.

Further, the country is also building domestic recycling technologies and creating a circular model for rare earth recovery with Southeast Asian players.

Where India Stands Today

The good news is that India holds the fifth-largest rare earth reserves in the world. But the worrying news is that it still lacks commercial-scale refining and processing facilities and magnet manufacturing capacity.

Without intact technical expertise and industrial scalability to process these elements in-house, expanding mining volumes does not make sense; it only makes India again depend on foreign countries for processing.

To address this, India has launched the National Critical Minerals Mission and is implementing a ₹7,280 crore scheme to promote the manufacturing of rare earth permanent magnets.

Under this seven-year plan, the country aims to build a domestic, independent rare earth ecosystem, covering the entire process from mining, refining, separating and converting rare earth oxides into finished magnets.

Government Subsidies

In fact, the Indian government has announced capital subsidies and support to encourage private and public sector participation. Their participation is vital for flourishing sectors like electric vehicles, defense, electronics and renewable energy in India.

If this happens, it will significantly help reduce reliance on Chinese imports.

At the same time, India is also diversifying international partnerships. Additionally, it realizes the importance of research and development, recycling and sustainable mining practices to build a self-reliant rare earth supply chain.

Conclusion

It is a fact that no country has achieved REE independence alone.

Dysprosium is a heavy rare earth element, which comes from a Greek word meaning “hard to get” — and indeed it is. It is not rare in terms of abundance, but in terms of economically mineable high concentration deposits.

As vital as it is for many high-tech applications, its difficult extraction process makes maintaining a sustainable global supply chain challenging.

Which Countries Lead Dysprosium Production

When it comes to rare earth elements (REEs), China is the dominant global force, supplying a significant majority of the world's dysprosium and other critical rare earth metals such as neodymium and praseodymium.

Its monopoly over global rare earth supply chains has raised serious supply security concerns among other countries and therefore, many of them have started domestic production as well as diversified their rare earth imports.

Other countries with notable dysprosium resources include India, Australia, Brazil, and the US. 

However, they still lag behind China in terms of their production levels.

Where Does India Stand?

Having the third largest rare earth reserves in the word, India is strategically shifting towards self-reliant mining practices to address the geopolitical risk. 

Though India contributes less than 1% of global rare earth mining as we speak, with initiatives like the National Critical Mineral Mission and Production Linked Incentives schemes, it is set to boost its rare earth production and supply.

India considers three ways to balance the global supply chain:

recycling rare earths from retired products

exploring alternative import channels

and investing in research and development to improve REE utilization.

And with partnerships involving Australia, Japan, and the US to diversify supply chains and acquire advanced processing technology, India presents a strong case for emerging as a key player in rare earth geopolitics.

Industrial Applications of Dysprosium

Dysprosium offers amazing magnetic properties and a high melting point, which makes it indispensable in various modern and clean energy applications.

Each country is pushing itself towards net-zero emissions and reducing dependence on fossil fuels, which means the demand for dysprosium will continue to grow day by day.

Applications:

Permanent magnets: Dysprosium is used in manufacturing neodymium magnets to make them more efficient, durable, and resistant to high temperatures. These magnets play an important role in wind turbines, EV batteries, and hard drives.

Nuclear Reactors: In reactors, dysprosium is utilized in control rods to help absorb neutrons.

Other uses: Also, it finds applications in some specialized alloys, laser materials, and lighting technologies.

Conclusion

Lanthanum is one of the most critical rare earth elements (REEs). It is a light rare earth element. Apart from its use as a pure metal, compounds formed with it also contribute to new innovations, thanks to its unique physical and chemical properties.

In this article, we explore these properties, lanthanum compounds, and their applications across sectors.

Properties of Lanthanum

Lanthanum is a highly versatile element.

Being an active metal, it can form compounds with several elements such as nitrogen, carbon, boron, selenium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur and halogens.

It is a soft, malleable metal, so one can easily cut it using a knife.

It reacts faster with most acids and also with hot water. However, it reacts slowly if the water is cold. In moist air, it oxidizes quickly.

It offers impressive stability.

Applications of Lanthanum and Its Compounds

Lanthanum Oxide

Lanthanum oxide is widely recognized for its optical clarity and thermal stability.

High precision optics: Due to its high refractive index and other special characteristics, lanthanum oxide is a critical material in high precision optics to enhance light bending. It also enhances image sharpness and decreases chromatic aberration when added to optical glass. It is used in high precision optical devices like camera lenses, telescope lenses, and fiber optics.

Clean energy and petroleum industry: Lanthanum oxide is also useful in fuel cells for generating clean energy. In the petroleum industry, it is used to convert crude oil into gasoline and diesel through a catalytic cracking process.

Lanthanum Carbonate

Medicine: When one thinks of improvement in a patient’s health outcome, lanthanum is an essential light rare earth metal. Its compound, lanthanum carbonate, helps control elevated phosphate levels in patients with hyperphosphatemia — a common condition associated with chronic kidney disease.

Water Purification: Lanthanum carbonate is also used for water purification purposes. It is used to remove excess phosphates from wastewater. This improves water quality. Many countries see this application of lanthanum as a sustainable solution for water treatment.

Lanthanum Nitrate

While this compound is a precursor to the production of other lanthanum compounds, lanthanum nitrate itself is also incredibly important for various industrial processes. 

It is mainly used in manufacturing specialty glass products to enhance their properties such as optical performance as well as thermal resistance. It makes production of high quality materials feasible for applications like lasers, fiber optics, and telecommunications.

Lanthanum Metal

Though rare, it is a cornerstone for sustainable energy technologies.

Energy storage: Lanthanum plays an extremely important role in developing energy storage solutions, for example, Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries used in hybrid vehicles. It helps these batteries retain more charge without added weight. Apart from batteries, this metal also contributes to innovations in hydrogen storage and fuel cells.

Electric motors: It is also used in the development of high performance magnets for electric motors. When alloyed in precise proportions with neodymium and cerium, it contributes to improving the efficiency of motors and also their ability to resist heat, making these magnets perfect for use in EVs.

Conclusion

Bentonite is a naturally occurring, highly colloidal clay mineral. It is primarily composed of montmorillonite. Thanks to its unique properties such as hydration, water absorption and swelling, it finds several industrial uses across sectors. The most common use of it is as a mud constituent for oil and water well drilling.

In this article, we discuss the applications of bentonite in detail.

Applications of Bentonite in Construction and Drilling

Drilling Fluid Enhancement

Bentonite comes with a swelling property. This property allows it to absorb large amounts of water and expand in volume. It is made possible by montmorillonite clay minerals with a layered structure that stores water between layers, causing them to separate and swell.

In the oil and gas industry, it helps ensure smooth and safe drilling operations. It is used as a lubricant and added into drilling muds for drilling equipment and stabilises borehole walls.

Also, it is used in geotechnical engineering and civil construction. Thanks to its swelling ability, it can form thixotropic suspensions. These fluids can stay at rest as well as flow when agitated.

Thixotropic suspensions are used to prevent groundwater entry into excavated sites. They also do a good sealing job and provide strong structural support. This protective sealing is known as a slurry wall.

Piling

Apart from drilling and creating slurry walls, it also finds applications in piling. It does a similar job as a slurry wall.

Basically, to ensure the structural integrity of buildings, engineers utilize bentonite to create a stable environment that helps prevent soil collapse when they are installing piles.

Pipe-Jacking

Pipe-jacking is one of the trenchless construction techniques used to install or repair underground pipes. This technique eliminates the need for digging large open trenches.

In this method, engineers horizontally push pipes through the ground from a launching pit to a receiving pit using hydraulic jacks. Technicians inject a bentonite mixture around the pipe to create a slippery surface between the pipe and the ground, reducing friction and speeding up the process.

It also helps avoid any damage to the pipes as well as the soil structure.

Conclusion

In conclusion, bentonite’s swelling property helps improve equipment lubrication, stabilize geological formations and create strong sealing solutions in drilling and civil construction projects.

Silica sand mainly comprises two elements: silica and oxygen. It is primarily made up of silicon dioxide (SiO2). It is also known as industrial sand.

One can differentiate between silica sand and regular sand based on its material composition. When the material has at least 95% of SiO2 and less than 0.6% iron oxide, it is authentic silica sand; otherwise, it is regular one.

Quartz is the most common form of SiO2. It is a relatively hard mineral. It is mostly white or colorless but can come in different shades. The color of each sand deposit depends on the variety of minerals making up the resource.

Applications of Silica Sand

Construction Material

Silica sand serves as a key structural material in many construction and building applications.

In construction materials such as cement, ceramics, flooring, mortars, roofing shingles and asphalt, whole-grain silica sand is used to boost toughness and chemical stability.

On the other hand, in epoxy products like sealants, caulks and coatings, ground silica is used as a helping ingredient to make them stronger and longer lasting. Thanks to its excellent resistance to corrosion, wear and weather, it also protects these products from rust and damage.

Glass Making

Just like construction ceramics, silica sand is one of the main ingredients in the production of glass. Without it, glass simply cannot be produced. From everyday items like windows to beverage bottles, silica forms the foundation of most glass products. 

The level of purity in the sand directly impacts the glass’s color, strength and clarity, making it a crucial factor in determining the quality of the final product.

Here are a few applications of silica sand in the glass industry:

It is used for producing flat glass for automotive and building use. 

It is used in food and tableware container production.

It is also used in making fiberglass insulation, where silica reinforces the glass fibers.

It is also used in test tubes and other scientific tools.

Water Purification

Silica sand is widely used for filtering both well water and tap water. It comes in uniform shapes and sizes, which enables it to form a perfect filtration bed that helps remove contaminants from water.

In addition, silica gravel is often used as packing material in deep water wells, where having the right grain size distribution is essential for efficient filtration bed operations.

Rare earth elements are extremely important for a country’s growth. These metals play a huge role in powering sectors like defense, advanced electronics, and green energy technologies. 

One of these sectors is the one that is aiming to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel based energy and achieve a transition to green energy, considering the rapid global climate change.

Yet, there is a paradox: the same materials enabling a greener future often come at a steep environmental cost.

The Paradoxes of Rare Earth Mining

Rare, Not Scarce

Rare earths are available in abundance in the earth’s crust. Technically, this is not a case of scarcity. These elements are widely dispersed and rarely found in concentrated form. Therefore, they are really difficult to extract and separate.

Clean Ambitions, Complex Realities

Rare earth mining and separation operations pose challenges such as deforestation, disruption of habitat life, soil erosion and reduced fertility, air and water contamination due to release of radioactive and toxic liquid waste.

Yes. The extraction and refining of rare earths is environmentally harmful. However, their unique properties make them non-negotiable when the entire world is aiming or say striving for that matter to achieve sustainability goals in various sectors.

The environmental risks are real. No doubt. But it is also true that innovations in cleaner extraction and recycling are underway, aiming to make the process less damaging.

Circular Rare Earth Economy

One way to reduce the environmental impact is by recycling and reusing rare earths from end-of-life electronics and magnets. This can help reduce our reliance on primary sources.

Although it is technically challenging and far from universal adoption, recovering metals from electronic waste and magnet-to-magnet recycling are gaining traction.

The U.S. has already scaled up recycling to reduce dependency on fresh mining. This could potentially be the ultimate sustainable solution to secure rare earths.

Rare Earth Supply Chain and Geopolitics

Recent geopolitical developments, particularly China's tightening export controls on certain rare earth elements and magnets, have accelerated efforts for diversifying the rare earth supply chain among other countries.

It accounts for almost 90% of global processing capacity for these crucial components.

Nations like India, the U.S., and Australia are looking for alternatives. The primary focus remains on establishing domestic rare earth ecosystems and new international partnerships.

India faces a paradox too. It holds the third-largest rare earth reserves globally, yet its domestic extraction and processing remain limited, contributing less than 1% to global rare earth mining.

But things are changing slowly and gradually. The country is strategically shifting towards self-reliance amidst global rare earth supply chain vulnerabilities.

Initiatives like the National Critical Mineral Mission and a substantial incentive scheme for rare earth magnet manufacturing are catalyzing domestic production. 

Plastic. Metal. Toxic waste.

Our oceans, rivers, and lakes are drowning in waste. According to the United Nations, we humans dump over 11 million metric tonnes of plastic alone into the ocean every year.

Also, these water bodies are filled with a lot of metal debris, batteries, industrial waste, and various other pollutants, which pollute water, release harmful chemicals, and threaten marine life.

What if you were told that people around the world are using hobbies like magnet fishing to pull ferrous items from waterways?

Never heard of a hobby like this? Let’s explore.

What Is Magnet Fishing?

Magnet fishing is a simple but ingenious hobby: Fishers attach a strong magnet to a rope, toss it into a river, canal, or lake, and pull up any ferrous metal objects it clings to. 

It is something between treasure hunting and environmental cleanup. People who engage in magnet fishing are known as magnet fishers. These fishers are globally recovering metal debris, tools, guns, bikes, phones from various water bodies around the world.

So, what makes these magnets really strong? Let’s see in the next section.

The Role of Neodymium in Magnet Fishing

Neodymium, a type of rare earth element (REE), lies at the heart of the magnet fishing trend. It is used to produce exceptionally strong permanent magnets.

This light rare earth is alloyed with iron and boron to form NdFeB magnets:

These magnets have great lifting capability in a small space.

They can endure wet, muddy, or corrosive environments.

They have the capacity to recover deeply submerged heavy, heavily deformed, or hard-to-handle metal trash.

While NdFeB magnets are best known for powering smartphones, wind turbines, and electric vehicle motors, magnet fishers are repurposing them to make a visible difference in polluted waterways; especially in urban canals and rivers choked with metal waste.

What Magnet Fishers Are Finding in Water Bodies Globally

Here are a few of the magnet fishers who have made it to headlines:

Believe it or not, in May 2024, two U.S.-based magnet fishers and a real-life couple, James Kane and Barbi Agostini, pulled a safe containing stacks of waterlogged cash from a river in New York. The estimated total was $50,000 to $80,000.

A father-son duo in East London, known as the Johns, has been magnet fishing along the Grand Union Canal since the 2020 lockdown. They have pulled guns, revolvers, knives, bikes, shopping trolleys, tools, and other metal debris. Every time they pull something dangerous like hand grenades, they report it to the police and let the authorities deal with it.

Nineteen-year-old Lewis Bright in Chelmsford, Essex, has earned 100K Instagram followers by pulling shopping carts, bicycles, and other types of ferrous materials.

Rare earth elements (REE) are key ingredients in manufacturing rare earth magnets. However, REEs are available in less mineable concentrations, which makes it difficult to obtain them in large amounts. Therefore, rare magnets are expensive. Besides, if any event disrupts the rare earth supply, it can cause price fluctuations.

Imagine a tragic death of a miner leads to a strike in a region known for producing rare earths, which would halt the mining and production of rare elements. As a result, this event will increase the price of rare earths as well as magnets, impacting global supply.

In this article, we will explore the five-step supply chain of rare magnets.

Five Key Steps in the Rare Earth Magnet Supply Chain

Mining: Extraction of Ore

The journey to rare earth magnets begins with mining large amounts of ores that contain a rare earth mixture. Monazite and bastnaesite are the go-to sources of rare metals such as neodymium, cerium, and lanthanum. But these ores also contain other minerals. So, the next step is:

Extracting the Concentrated Mixture

This step involves extracting the concentrated mixture of rare earth elements. Extraction is achieved through a multi-stage process of crushing, grinding, leaching, and precipitation to release the rare earths from the ore.

Separation: Handling Oxides

At this stage, the concentrated REE mixture is separated into individual rare earth oxides using a chemical reaction called calcination. 

Processing: Refining Heavy and Light Metals

This is where the oxides are processed into pure rare earth metals, which are then used in the production of rare earth magnets.

Magnet Production

The final step in magnet production involves melting a mix of materials, including rare earth metals, to create the right alloy. This is followed by shaping the material through milling, pressing, and heating to form magnets with the desired properties. The magnets are then cut into their final shape and magnetized to function properly.

Neodymium magnet, one of the most in-demand rare earth magnets, is composed of iron, boron and neodymium. During the 1980s, the need for a cheaper alternative to expensive samarium-cobalt magnets led to the discovery of this NdFeB alloy, popularly known as neodymium magnets.

In this article, we will look at the properties of the rare metal neodymium and the applications of neodymium magnets.

Properties of Neodymium

Nd forms its respective oxides when burned in air.

It easily gets dissolved in hot water to liberate hydrogen.

It forms non-stoichiometric hydrides by reacting with hydrogen.

Neo magnets show high resistance to demagnetisation.

Applications of Neo Magnet

Here are some applications of neodymium magnets:

CRT monitors: The strong magnetic field created by neodymium magnets paves the way for effective deflection of electron beams within the CRT tube. This controlled deflection helps create clear visuals on the screen.

Cooling fans: Motors used in electrical fans contain neodymium magnets to induce motion through the interaction of magnetism and electricity. In computers, fans have one primary purpose: cooling. They are mounted on heat-producing components such as the processor, power supply unit, and high-end graphics cards. Without magnets, there would be no cooling fans, so computers would excessively generate heat, their performance would diminish, and they would have shorter lifespans.

Speakers and headphones: Nd magnets are used in speakers and headphones to convert electrical signals into audible sound by generating mechanical vibrations through electromagnetic induction. The strong magnetic field of the neo magnet increases the sensitivity of the speaker’s diaphragm, improving sound quality.

Hard disk drives: Data is one of the most important assets today, and therefore, storing sensitive information is crucial. Nd Magnets are utilised in the actuator mechanism to control the movement of the read-write head on the spinning disk. This allows precise reading and writing with efficiency.