Renewable energy and advanced technology are changing the way we explore for, produce, use, and recycle critical minerals. The demand for critical minerals—which are used for clean energy technology applications, like high-powered magnets and batteries—is expected to grow exponentially over the coming decades.
The table below provides a snapshot of the variety of ways these minerals can be used in both renewable and advanced technologies.
What are rare earth elements?
These are a distinct group on the periodic table that include Cerium, Dysprosium, Erbium, Europium, Gadolinium, Holmium, Lanthanum, Lutetium, Neodymium, Praseodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Scandium, Terbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Yttrium.
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Commodity
Uses
Aluminium (Bauxite)
Solar and wind technology
Food packaging
Aircraft
Electric vehicles and battery storage
Cadmium
Solar cells
Rechargeable batteries
Pigments
Cobalt
Key component of lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles and battery storage
Wind technology
Ceramics
Copper
Solar and wind technology
Electric vehicles and battery storage
Electricity grids
Music instruments
Graphite
Key component of lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles and battery storage
Pencils
Indium
Electric technology
Touch screens/flat screen TVs
Solar panels
Windshields of aircraft and cars
Manganese
Bridges
Railway tracks
Electric cars
Wind technology
Molybdenum
Armour
Buildings
Petrol refining
Niobium
Battery storage
Jet engines
Superconducting magnets
Nickel
Steel
Food processing
Electronics
Electric vehicles and battery storage
Solar technology
Rare earth elements
Medical imaging
Electronic and computing equipment
Rechargeable batteries
Wind turbine blades
Electric vehicles
Rhenium
Oven filaments
X-ray machines
Solar technology
Selenium
Solar technology
Glassmaking
Pigments
Silica (Lump silica, silica sand)
Solar technology
Wind technology
Glass
Silver
Solar panels
Medicine
Water purification
Tantalum
Aircraft
Capacitor
Nuclear energy
Tellurium
Solar technology
Ceramics
Electronics
Tungsten
Solar technology
Wind turbine blades
Drill bits
Filaments (light bulbs)
Tin
Food product cans
Paints
Disinfectants
Chemicals
Solar technology
Titanium
Electric vehicles and battery storage
Wind technology
Fireworks
Vanadium
Solar grid batteries
Jet engines
Car suspension
Building frames
Zinc
Vehicles
Farm machinery
Water pipes
Wind technology
Zirconium
Steel alloys
Lamp filaments
Surgical instruments
Solar technology
Uses
Commodity
Aircraft
Aluminium (Bauxite)
Indium (aircraft windshields)
Tantalum
Armour
Molybdenum
Batteries
Aluminium (Bauxite) (storage)
Cadmium (rechargeable batteries)
Cobalt (storage)
Copper (storage)
Graphite (storage)
Nickel (storage)
Niobium (storage)
Rare earth elements (rechargeable batteries)
Titanium (storage)
Titanium (storage)
Bridges
Manganese
Buildings
Molybdenum
Vanadium (building frames)
Capacitor
Tantalum
Ceramics
Cobalt
Tellurium
Chemicals
Tin
Disinfectants
Tin
Drill bits
Tungsten
Electric technology
Aluminium (Bauxite) (electric vehicles)
Copper (electricity grids and electric vehicles)
Indium
Manganese (electric vehicles)
Nickel (electric vehicles)
Rare earth elements (electric vehicles)
Titanium (electric vehicles)
Electronics
Indium (televisions)
Nickel
Rare earth elements (Electronic and computing equipment)