Sunday, November 30, 2008

Growing Demand for rare earths and metals

Globally, demand for rare earths and metals -- for instance, zirconium, beryllium and lithium -- has exploded in recent years.
That rapid growth is being propelled by the importance of rare earths and rare metals to a variety of products, including cellphones, digital cameras and, especially, a whole range of automobile applications. By some estimates, 30 per cent of the world's consumption of rare earths is related to cars, a figure that could grow as more consumers shift to hybrid vehicles, which typically contain more than 60 pounds of rare-earth product.
China supplies more than 90 per cent of the global demand is a huge opportunity
buyers want more supply-side diversity......

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