The Relation of Natural Metals to Technology

August 4, 2023 / Melody Smith / Comments Off on The Relation of Natural Metals to Technology

A group of natural metals known as the rare earths has made possible our technology-powered society. Demand for these crucial components in nearly all modern electronics is skyrocketing. ScienceNews brought this information to our attention in their article, “How rare earth elements’ hidden properties make modern technology possible.”

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are used as components in high technology devices, including smart phones, digital cameras, computer hard disks, fluorescent and light-emitting-diode (LED) lights, flat screen televisions, computer monitors, and electronic displays. Large quantities of some REEs are used in clean energy and defense technologies.

Heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) such as Gd–Lu, Sc and Y are irreplaceable metals for a number of critical (including clean) technologies, but they are scarce.

Most people view technology as the future. In the business sector, Silicon Valley and tech startups exhibit massive growth potential; in manufacturing, new machinery and automation are boosting efficiency; and in the environmental realm, green technology presents the best prospects for decarbonization. Unfortunately, production of these new technologies requires the extraction of REEs.

Melody K. Smith

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Melody Smith

Melody K. Smith has provided organizational, social media and digital communication services to a large non-profit for the past twenty years. Prior to that she championed employee engagement and communications in the healthcare field. She holds a Bachelors degree in Marketing. When not wrangling and writing TaxoDiary content for your reading pleasure, Melody writes fiction, rescues dogs and throws legendary dinner parties.