Critical Raw Materials
The European Union has in 2023 assessed a list of 34 Critical Raw Materials listed up underneath.
Beuxite
Facts:
Use: Production of aluminium
Antimony
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Found in the earth’s crus. Used in infrared sensors, military applications
Arsenic
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Arsenic is also used in electronics, including in LCD screens, and as a dopant in the production of semiconductors
Baryte
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Barite is a mineral that is primarily used because of its high density. It is therefore also called heavy spar. Its main use is in drilling fluid for the oil industry
Beryllium
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Beryllium is mainly used in aerospace, electronics, and strong alloys due to its low weight and high strength
Bismuth
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Bismuth is mainly used in alloys, medicine, and as a safer substitute for lead
Borate
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Used as a flame retardant, as wood preservative, analysing contaminated soil
Cobalt
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Used as pigment. Cobalt is alloyed with steel to improve corrosion resistance and wear strength.
Coking coal
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Coking coal is mainly used to produce coke, which is essential for steel production.
Feldtspar
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Feldspar is primarily used because it lowers the melting temperature and improves the strength and surface quality of materials, especially in glass and ceramics.
Flourspar
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Flourspar is essential for Chemical production (especially hydrofluoric acid)
Metal refining
Glass and ceramics
Advanced technologies
Gallium
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Gallium is widely used in the semiconductor and electronics industry, particularly in solar cells and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). It is also used in some high-temperature thermometers.
Germanium
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Germanium is a metalloid. It is an important semiconductor used in advanced electronics, fiber optics, and infrared optics.
Hafnium
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Hafnium is used in control rods in nuclear reactors and in various metal alloys and in electrodes in plasma torches
Helium
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Helium has an extremely low boiling point, which makes liquid helium ideal for cooling superconducting magnets, for example in medical MRI machines. Used in balloons
Heavy rear earth elem.
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They are essential for the global clean energy transition, particularly for enabling permanent magnets in electric vehicles (EVs) and wind turbines
Lithium
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Essential component in rechargeable batteries (such as those in electric vehicles and electronics), and is used medically as a powerful mood-stabilizing drug
Light rear earth elem.
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They are the driving force behind modern clean energy, permanent magnets, and advanced electronics
Magnesium
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Well suited for everyday objects in the form of alloys that have greater mechanical strength than pure metal. In construction, magnesium is the most widely used metal after steel and aluminum.
Manganese
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The human body requires it in small amounts to support enzyme function, bone formation, and blood clotting. Industrially, it is vital for steel production and electric vehicle batterie
Natural Graphite
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It is most commonly known as the core of “pencils” and is used in everything from batteries to lubricants
Niobium
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Around 90% of all niobium goes to the steel industry, where even extremely small amounts (less than 0.1%) significantly increase strength and reduce weight
Platinum group met.
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Extreme rarity, high melting points, resistance to corrosion, and superb catalytic activity, makes them crucial to automotive, chemical, and green-energy industries
Phosphate rock
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Over 90% of global phosphate rock is processed into phosphoric acid for commercial agricultural fertilizers (the “P” in N-P-K) and animal feed supplements.
Copper
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Electrisity and renewal energi for the “green transition”
Phosphorus
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It is critical for human biology, global agriculture, and various chemical technologies
Scandium
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Its primary commercial uses include creating high-performance aluminum alloys for aerospace and sports equipment, and as an additive to boost the efficiency of solid oxide fuel cells
Silicon metal
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Silicon is a versatile metalloid used across technology, infrastructure, and consumer goods like solar panels, steel productions, semiconductors and Electronics
Strontium
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Tantalum
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It is most commonly used in tiny, high-performance capacitors in electronics (such as smartphones), superalloys in aircraft engines, and medical equipment.
Titanium metall
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Titanium has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is used on its own or in alloys as a material for rockets, jet aircraft, submarines,tools and for medical use.
Thungsten
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It withstands extreme heat without melting or deforming, and is therefore used in filaments, TIG welding, and rocket components. It`s also used for hardening cutting tools and as ballast in F1 cars and airplanes.
Vanadium
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Mainly used as an alloying element in steel to increase strength and toughness
Nickel
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Nickel is used in many recognizable industrial and consumer products, including stainless steel, alnico magnets, coinage, rechargeable batteries