Cerium
Cerium is the most abundant rare earth element, with technical applications in many industries. It is considered a critical mineral in the US and the EU.
Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earth elements (REEs). It has many industrial applications, including for chemical catalysis in the automotive industry, as an alloying element for high-performance steels, aluminium and other metals, and as a polishing agent for glass and optics.
Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earth elements (REEs) and is classified as a “light” REE. It has many industrial applications, including for chemical catalysis in the automotive industry, as an alloying element for high-performance steels, aluminium and other metals, and as a polishing agent for glass and optics.
Like other REEs, cerium production is highly concentrated in China, in particular in the Bayan Obo mining district in Inner Mongolia. Because of this concentration, and the utility of cerium in key industries, it is considered a critical mineral by the US government and the European Commission.
The most significant REE mine outside China is the Mountain Pass mine in California. Work is underway and planned to restore domestic processing capabilities for minerals mined at Mountain Pass, to increase US supply chain security. REE are also mined at the Mount Weld facility in Australia and processed in the Lynas refinery in Malaysia, which is the only major REE processor outside of China and which provides over 10% of global REE supply.
Little data is publicly available on cerium production, reserves, price history and recycling rates, and very few reports on ESG topics discuss cerium by name. At the production and processing stages, public reporting tends to analyse the REEs in aggregate.
Main uses and applications
Cerium oxide is widely used as a chemical catalyst. Many REEs have similar catalytic properties, but cerium is often selected due to its relative abundance and lower price. Cerium is used in catalytic converters for automotive vehicles, which convert exhaust chemicals such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons into less harmful substances including elemental nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor.
Cerium oxide is also used in the automotive industry as a fuel additive. Nanoparticles of cerium oxide can increase fuel efficiency, though studies suggest that inhalation of associated exhaust fumes may cause increased lung damage compared to regular fuel. In automotive and industrial catalysts alike, cerium oxide plays a central role in diesel oxidation catalysts and other emissions control systems.
Cerium is used as an alloying element for steel, in which role it improves steel’s durability, including its heat and corrosion resistance, its workability and its mechanical properties. Cerium can also be used in the production of aluminium alloys, where it confers the same durability and mechanical properties, as well as making the aluminium more easily castable.[i]
Another important use of cerium is as a polishing agent. Cerium oxide polish is used to polish automotive glass, optics and gemstones to a very high finish.
Key Countries
Top Producer
China
Top Reserves
China