May 04, 2014 The diverse properties of rare earth elements have seen broad and growing applications in clean energy technologies, hybrid vehicles, pollution control, optics, refrigeration, and so on. This study presents a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of the energy use, resource depletion, and global warming potential resulting from the production of rare earth elements The Nechalacho rare earth elements (REE) project being developed by Avalon Rare Metals in Thor Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada, is one of the worlds most advanced and large, heavy rare earth development projects. It is also host to the worlds second biggest tantalum deposit and third biggest niobium deposit. Apr 08, 2019 The rare earth elements are already critical to the U.S. defense sector, but rare earth mining, processing and fabrication capabilities will even more strongly influence geopolitical dynamics in the coming years as the world undergoes its nascent energy transition and transportation evolution.In the near term, China will benefit from its near-monopoly, but