China's Rare Earth Elements Industry - Foreign Military Studies Office

as a stabilizer material in rocket nose cones. They can also be formed into lasercrystals specific to spectral characteristics for military communications. Yttriumceramics can be used as crucibles for melting reactive metals and as nozzles forjet casting molten alloys. Cars contain oxygen sensors composed of yttriumbased ceramic materials. Yttrium is also widely used to give the red color in colortelevision tubes.Abundance earth’s crust: 3.3x10 1 milligrams per kilogramAbundance Ocean: 1.3x10 -5 milligrams per literSources: Y occurs in nearly all of the rare-earth minerals. There has been foundhigh Y content on lunar rocks. Y is recovered commercially from monazite sand(3%) and from bastnaesite (0.2%).Sc Scandium 21Uses: There are two primary uses for scandium. First, due to its luminescenceand electrical conductivity properties, scandium is used in lighting, lasers andconsumer electronics. Second, it is used as an alloy in aluminum to producehigh-performance materials in the aerospace and sporting goods industries.There are currently no substitutes for scandium in its applications to lasers andthe illumination industry. However, titanium/aluminum alloys and carbon fiber canbe used to replace scandium/aluminum alloys in some cases, especially in thesports equipment industry.Abundance earth’s crust: 2.2x10 1 milligrams per kilogramAbundance Ocean: 6x10 -7 milligrams per literHandling: Little is known about toxicity.Sources: More abundant in the sun and certain stars than on earth. It is widelydistributed on earth. It occurs in very minute quantities in over 800 mineralspecies. Found in Scandinavia and Malagasy. Most Sc today is recovered fromthortveitite or is extracted as a by-product from uranium mill tailings.40