Rare Earths

Rare Earths: Science, Technology, Production, Use, and Recycling, Second Edition explores and examines the extraction and critical uses of the REE in the 21st Century as determined by their occurrence, chemistry, physics, and atomic structure. High-technology and environmental applications of the rare-earth elements (REE) have grown dramatically in diversity and importance over the past five decades. This book provides a scientific understanding of rare earth properties and uses, present and future. It also points the way to efficient recycle of the rare earths in end-of-use products and efficient use of rare earths in new products. This new edition examines the geology, mineralogy, discovery, ore, concentration, mining, mineral processing, rare earth extraction and production of pure rare earth metals and compounds (e.g., rare earth oxides, chlorides), atomic structures, properties, applications including military, economics, and future. High-end environmental applications of the earth elements have grown dramatically in diversity over the past decade, for example the scientific understanding of the way to efficiently recycle rare earths in end-of-use products and efficient use of rare earths in new products such as lasers. Scientists and students will appreciate the book’s approach to the availability, structure, and properties of rare earths, and how they have led to a myriad of critical uses, present and future. Experts will also get an integrated picture of production and use (present and future) of rare earths and the science behind this picture. The book will be directed to senior undergraduate science and engineering students and postgraduate students in chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, materials science and engineering, and optical engineering. Also, employees in the rare earth and associated industries, or government and industrial libraries. This book will continue prove valuable as a resource to obtain a clear picture of production and use of rare earths in the 21st Century, and the science behind this picture.

• Defines the chemical, physical and structural properties of rare earths
• Gives the reader a basic understanding of what rare earths can do for us
• Describes uses of each rare earth with chemical, physics, and structural explanations for the properties that underlie those uses
• Allows the reader to understand how rare earths behave and why they are used in present applications and will be used in future applications
• Explains to the reader where and how rare earths are found and produced and how they are best recycled to minimize environmental impact and energy and water consumption