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How valuable is the “sleeping treasure” in Vietnam that the US wants to cooperate in exploiting?

In 2012, the US Department of Defense released a report surveying the state of US rare earth supplies. The report emphasizes that “by 2013, US production could meet the consumption required for defense procurement, with the exception of yttrium.”

Subsequently, the recommendation of further reports was that the US should start stockpiling heavy rare earth strains immediately, especially yttrium. Two reports from the US Department of Defense show that yttrium is the rare earth that deserves the most attention. Fortunately, Vietnam’s rare earth ore bodies are rich in yttrium.

What is Yttrium?

Yttrium was discovered in the late 18th century, but it has not been until recent decades that this soft, silvery metal has become widely used – in chemistry, physics, computer technology, energy, medicine and other fields.

In the Periodic Table of Elements, yttrium is among the transition metals, including some of the more familiar elements, such as silver and iron. Transition metals tend to be strong but ductile, which is why some of them, such as copper and nickel, are widely used for conductors. Yttrium is also used in electronics and solar energy, in laser technology, ceramics, camera lenses and dozens of other applications.

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Yttrium is also one of the rare earth elements. Contrary to their name, rare earth elements are quite abundant around the world. The 17 rare earth elements include yttrium, scandium, and 15 lanthanide elements (metallic elements with atomic numbers 57 to 71).

They have become indispensable in the production of mobile phones and other technologies. However, yttrium is rarely used alone.

Instead, the researchers use it to form compounds, such as the yttrium barium copper oxide used in high-temperature superconductivity. Yttrium is also added to metal alloys to help improve resistance to corrosion and oxidation.

Origin of Yttrium

Although yttrium has been discovered in Scandinavia, it is abundant in other countries. China, Russia, India, Malaysia and Australia are the leading producers of yttrium. In April 2018, scientists discovered a huge deposit of rare earth metals, including yttrium, on a small Japanese island called Minamitori Island.

Yttrium can be found in most rare earth minerals, but has never been detected in the Earth’s crust as a free element. Moon rocks collected during the Apollo lunar missions also contain yttrium. The human body also contains yttrium in small amounts, usually concentrated in the liver, kidneys, and bones.

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Applications of Yttrium

Today, yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) is used as light-amplifying crystals in industrial lasers. This stone is used for microwave filters, as well as in radar and communications technology.

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Answering the scientific news site Live Science, an expert said: “Although yttrium has a multitude of applications, the largest end uses are in ceramics and phosphorus. Others are used in metallurgy, glass polishing and additives, and catalysts. In addition to There are countless other electronic uses from the yttrium, but the oxygen sensor is a particularly important one.”

Yttrium is widely used to produce phosphorus used in mobile phones and large screens. The radioisotope yttrium-90 is used in radiation therapy to treat liver cancer and some other cancers.

Current research

Yttrium is easier to use and less expensive than many other elements. For example, researchers are using yttrium to develop fuel cells instead of platinum because platinum is much more expensive.

Scientists at Denmark’s Chalmers University of Technology and Technical University are using yttrium and other rare earth metals in nanoparticle form, with the ambition to one day eliminate the need for fossil fuels. fossil fuels and improve the efficiency of battery-powered cars. Research on Yttrium-based superconductors continues around the world.

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Breakthroughs are being made in maglev trains and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the healthcare sector.

Yttrium oxide is used in a variety of ceramics and phosphorus for military systems including heat-resistant coatings for jet engines, titanium parts, crystals for night vision goggles, and high-temperature superconductors. . The United States Geological Survey (USGS) says China is almost exclusively the supplier of yttrium – the rare earth essential for laser sightings in tanks.

This has made the US face many risks in the supply of rare earths. Research by the US Department of Defense indicates that Vietnam is an “excellent” source of rare earths to supplement existing ones.

Among Vietnam’s rare earth mines, the mines at Nam Xe and Dong Pao are the most notable because of their large scale. The Nam Xe mine is larger and has a higher mineral content.

Tests of the Nam Xe ore body indicate that the deposit is particularly rich in higher-value heavy rare earths (HREEs), particularly including yttrium, europium and gadolinium.

It is known that mines with a high percentage of heavy rare earths (including yttrium and europium) are often much less frequent than mines containing light rare earths (LREE).

The unusually high proportion of heavy rare earths in the ore bodies at Nam Xe makes rare earth oxide mining at this site potentially highly profitable.

This fact makes Vietnam a potential partner in finding a diversity of rare earth sources for the US. Through the above information, it can be seen that there are many ways that countries can cooperate with Vietnam to develop rare earth mineral resources that are still “sleeping”, not yet exploited and developed. true to its inherent potential.

https://soha.vn/kho-bau-ngu-quen-o-viet-nam-co-gia-tri-the-nao-ma-my-rat-muon-hop-tac-khai-thac-20220525123000365. htm


According to Siddhartha

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