Tag: Rare earth elements

According to the Indian Ministry of Mines and independent reports, India is critically dependent on imports for several key resources, most notably **copper**. This critical dependency extends to many minerals essential for modern technology and strategic sectors, posing significant challenges for the country's economic and technological ambitions.

While essential minerals like iron, sodium, and potassium are critical components of a healthy bloodstream, the human body is designed to exclude or minimize the presence of many other elements. This selective process ensures that only necessary minerals are integrated into blood composition, while non-essential or harmful substances are actively filtered out or kept at extremely low levels.

Despite being from different groups on the periodic table, the ions of lanthanum ($La^{3+}$) and calcium ($Ca^{2+}$) are surprisingly similar in size, leading to unique interactions in biological systems. This ionic similarity is central to understanding the question, "does lanthanum have calcium-like properties," and its implications in clinical settings.

The global demand for critical minerals is projected to double by 2040, driven largely by the shift towards clean energy technologies. These vital materials, which include lithium and cobalt, are the foundational components for a vast array of modern products, from smartphones to electric vehicles. But what exactly comprises the official critical minerals list, and why is securing their supply so crucial for the future?

According to the Food Database (FooDB), trace amounts of gadolinium have been detected in plants like dill, red beetroot, and spinach. However, the most significant source of gadolinium exposure in the modern food supply is environmental contamination from medical and industrial waste.

While yttrium has no known biological role in humans, trace amounts are naturally present throughout the biosphere. It is crucial to understand that no food is "high" in yttrium in a nutritionally significant sense, and dietary exposure levels are consistently low.

While many minerals like quartz are widespread, others are found only in minute concentrations across the Earth's crust. A mineral that occurs only in small amounts is known as a rare mineral or, more specifically, a rare-earth mineral, and its scarcity makes it highly valuable. These minerals are essential for a wide range of advanced technological and industrial applications.

The term REE can refer to two very different scientific measurements, each requiring distinct methodologies. While your resting metabolic rate accounts for up to 70% of your daily energy expenditure, the techniques for measuring this human-centric REE are vastly different from the high-tech, lab-based processes used to analyze the concentration of rare earth elements (REE) in geological samples. This article will demystify how each type of REE is measured.

While the phrase "Weir equation for REE" is often searched, it typically arises from a common misunderstanding between two different scientific fields. The Weir equation is a formula for calculating Resting Energy Expenditure, a physiological metric, completely unrelated to the chemical extraction or separation of rare earth elements.

A Chinese study found the average lanthanum concentration in major foods was approximately 28.9 $\mu$g/kg, illustrating that trace amounts of this rare earth element are naturally present in our food supply. While not an essential nutrient for humans, understanding what foods contain lanthanum is part of a growing interest in trace elements.