Can Southeast Nebraska Help Break China’s Monopoly On Rare Earth Elements?

China holds a near total monopoly on certain rare-earth minerals necessary for defense systems. A Southeast Nebraska business finds itself part of the strategy to break that monopoly.In September of this year, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced $4.22 million had been awarded to Rare Earth Salts in Beatrice for developing and expanding production of terbium oxide from recycled fluorescent light bulbs. What is Terbium?Terbium is an essential element for rare earth magnets in many key defense systems. This effort is funded through the Defense Production Act Investment (DPAI) office and aligns with the National Defense Industrial Strategy’s priority of increasing supply chain resilience by expanding domestic production and sustainment of critical production.“This award adds a domestic source for one of the most difficult-to-obtain rare earth elements,” said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (ASD(IBP)). “Rare Earth Salts’ capability will help the United States establish a mine-to-magnet supply chain without reliance on foreign sources of material.Terbium adds temperature resiliency to neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets used in multiple key defense systems including aircraft, submarines, and missiles. Making up less than one percent of the total rare earth content in most deposits, it is one of the hardest elements to source.Rare Earth Salts is positioned as one of the only terbium oxide producers outside of China and uses what it describes as environmentally conscious recycling processes. The Importance of Rare Earth ElementsAccording to the DoD, “Continued U.S. reliance on foreign sources for rare earth products poses a risk to national security. The U.S. and most of the world depends on China for many rare earth elements.”Rare earth permanent magnets are not only essential components in a range of defense capabilities, including the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, Virginia and Columbia class submarines and unmanned aerial vehicles, but also a critical part of commercial applications in the United States. They are also used to generate electricity for electronic systems in aircraft and focus microwave energy in radar systems. China’s DominanceAccording to a study from the Brooking’s Institution, China currently produces some 60 percent of the world’s rare earth elements and processes 85 percent of them. Other Rare Earth ElementsAs co-products, the company will also recover the rare earths lanthanum, cerium, europium, and yttrium, each with their own applications in commercial industry and defense.According to the Pentagon, this award is the latest of more than 50 awards granted via the DPAI office since the beginning of fiscal year 2024, totaling more than $518 million.

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