Why the discovery of rare earth elements is important for Turkey

It seems to me that the "Discovery and Importance of Rare Earth Elements", which took Turkey to the top league, or even, in a broader perspective, to the super league, not the first league, has not been discussed at length in the Turkish public opinion, nor has it been understood. Don't you think so? I don't think there is anyone who doesn't remember the periodic table from high school chemistry class. I remember the redox lesson like it was yesterday. I mean the "Periodic Table or Table" developed for the classification of chemical elements. As the name implies, I am talking about the table in which the atomic number increases as one moves from left to right in a period, while the number of protons, neutrons and mass number increases. When talking about the periodic table, it is impossible not to remember the physics genius Henry Moseley, who contributed greatly to the development of this table and who died at a young age in the Gallipoli War. With the law of physics that bears his name, he showed that the main factor determining the properties of elements is the number of protons. This discovery showed that the basic property called "atomic number" was much more than just an element's place in the periodic table, as had been thought until then, and gave meaning to the periodic table for the first time. But as it turned out, the British government, which had difficulty finding soldiers for Gallipoli during the First World War, made it a rule that those who did not do their military service could not be appointed to public office.  

In 1914, Moseley was offered the position of head of the physics department at Oxford University, which is why he volunteered to join the British Army when the First World War broke out in the same year. In fact, it can be said that he enlisted compulsorily. Sadly, the scientist, who made a great transformation in both physics and chemistry, died on August 10, 1915 at the age of only 27 during the British offensive at Suvla. In response, the British government canceled the compulsory military service for scientists, but it was too late. As you know, the Nobel Prizes to be awarded in 1916 were canceled due to the war; however, it is thought that if Henry Moseley had been alive and if the war had not canceled the prizes, it is very likely that he would have received one of these prizes. (1)

The "Rare Earth Elements" (REEs) comprise a group of lanthanides, together with the elements yttrium and scandium, in this periodic table. Lanthanides are a group of chemically similar elements with atomic numbers from 57 to 71. Yttrium with atomic number 39 and scandium with atomic number 21 are also included in the rare earth elements with similar chemical properties to lanthanides. They are so named because they are thought to be more abundant in the earth's crust than other minerals. (2) Rare earth elements are used in more than 20 fields, from fiber optics to satellite communications, from smart missiles to fuel cells. (3) 

Let's say it from the very beginning, you don't move to the next league for nothing, you don't become a superpower, a mega-power without having rare elements. Let us say right away that the number of rare elements in a country is extremely important, even more than the land size of a state. By the way, Russia is also rich in rare elements. 

Remember, last year, when the trade war between the US and China escalated, there were allegations that China, which has a monopoly on rare element production in the world, might restrict exports of these elements in retaliation against the US. In an article titled "US, don't underestimate China's capacity to retaliate" published by the 'People's Daily' newspaper, the official organ of the Chinese Communist Party, "Will rare elements become a counter-weapon for China to counter the unjustified pressure exerted by the US? The US should not underestimate China's capacity in the trade war." It is worth recalling that Prof. Alexei Maslov, head of the Far Eastern Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the Vzglyad newspaper in 2021 that rare earth elements imported from China are used in the production of many military equipment in the US, including F-35 fighter jets. (3) I think the importance of rare earths is now better understood. 

"Rare Earth Elements" were discovered when the US refused to give Turkey the F-35 fighter jets even though they had been paid for and Turkey embarked on a domestic and national industrial move as a requirement of its full independence. And they were found when searched for. Fatih Dönmez, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, stated that Eskişehir is facing a historical discovery in the world and said, "In our studies that started in 2011, 125 thousand 193 meters of drilling was carried out in a total of 6 years. 59 thousand 121 samples were collected from the field. These were analyzed and as a result of the analysis, 694 million tons of rare earth elements were discovered. With this discovery, it became the second largest reserve field in the world." (3)

Can you imagine, Turkey has suddenly risen to second place after China in terms of reserves and has become an important actor in trade wars? 

To sum up, on April 18, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan inaugurated the pilot plant established in the field in Beylikova district of Eskişehir, where rare earth elements, which are primarily used in fields such as aviation, defense and space industry, biomedicine, were discovered. Opening of Beylikova Fluorite, Barite and Rare Earth Elements Facility. Work continues at the Beylikova Fluorite, Barite and Rare Earth Elements Plant of the General Directorate of Eti Mining Enterprises Beylikova Fluorite, Barite and Rare Earth Elements Plant under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, which ranks second in the world with 694 million tons of rare earth element reserves after the Bayan Obo field in China, which has 800 million tons of reserves. Fatih Dönmez, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, is closely involved not only with natural gas in the Blue Homeland and renewable energy and fossil fuel activities in the homeland, but also with the discovery of rare earth elements. As he succinctly puts it, "if you earn 1 unit when you sell the ore without processing, you can make it 10 times more valuable when you turn it into an intermediate product, and 100 times more valuable when you turn it into an end product", thus demonstrating Turkey's gains. Undoubtedly, this issue was known, but its importance was not perceived in this way until now.  Kathryn Goodenough, the chief geologist of the British Geological Survey, acknowledges the existence of high-grade rare earth elements in Turkey, but claims that the idea that this discovery is a huge new reserve that was previously unknown is completely wrong. It is true, the Republic of Turkey knew about the existence of this subject, but could not focus on its processing, economics and economy. Now these things will happen, let you know. 

The question is, we have found the rare elements, but how will the rare earth reserve be processed?  Jon Hykawy, President of Stormcrow Capital, a rare metals research and consulting firm, said, "If Turkey or any other country manages to increase the extraction of rare earth-laden minerals, it still begs the question of where they will be processed. China is still leading the world in this regard." He said. Jon Hykawy also noted that there are multiple possible methods for separating rare earth minerals, but "solvent extraction" is the most preferred method in China. Hykawy also noted that China specializes in the processing of rare earth elements, and warned that countries entering the market should calculate the cost of this well, as new countries in the market may have difficulty in competing with China.

Another issue is whether China fears competition from Turkey. Goodenough noted that the ore here is similar to some of the large production deposits in China, and confirmed the presence of rare earth elements in this resource. In a statement published in the Global Times, a publication of the Chinese Communist Party, a state-sponsored Bao Gang United Steel Group criticized Energy Minister Dönmez's statements, referring to refined compounds containing these metals, which are easily consumed by various industries around the world, and said that "if these reserves are really in the form of rare earth oxides, this reserve scale should be number one in the world."

Can you imagine, in 2011-2017, 125 thousand meters of drilling was carried out in 310 locations, 60 thousand samples were taken, and a reserve figure of 694 million tons was reached in the operation, which has a total mining area of 17 thousand 600 acres. (4) The figures are so large that I don't think I need to remind you that all these are man-made studies.

In the project, which is closely followed by Fatih Dönmez, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, the installation works of the pilot plant, which will process 1200 tons of ore annually, have been completed. It should also be noted that 600 tons of rare earth element ore has also been extracted and made ready for processing. This is the reason why President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan opened these facilities; Turkey is perceived very differently in the world.  Julie Klinger, a researcher at the University of Delaware, said that she found Turkey's breakthrough "worth watching" and expressed the view that the Turkish government is planning to attract foreign investors in this field.

Why is this topic so important? First of all, it is useful to say. The assembly works of the pilot plant where the ore will be processed have already been completed. It is useful to remind once again. Lütfi Tozar, Beylikova Fluorite, Barite and Rare Earth Elements Operations Manager, stated that Beylikova is the second largest field in the world with 694 million tons of rare earth elements reserves after the Bayan Obo field in China, and that the world's two mega powers, the PRC and the USA, are after these ores. Explaining that they reached a reserve of 694 million tons as a result of the studies carried out in the field between 2011-2017, Operations Manager Tozar emphasized the importance of the subject as follows:

"The assembly works of the pilot plant where the ore will be processed have been completed. Approximately 600 tons of ore that we will use in the pilot plant is ready on site. It has been mined. Our pilot plant has an annual processing capacity of 1200 tons of ore. We have fluorite, barite, rare earth elements, which are mainly lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, samarium, gadolinium, europium, neodymium. These are at producible levels. We also have 17 other rare earth elements in certain proportions. Thorium will also be processed in this facility. The elements we will obtain by processing the ore in this facility are materials used in high-tech products, green energy transformation, defense industry, laser, guidance systems, all kinds of electronics, and the most important feature of these is that they have no substitutes."(5)

Plant Manager Tozar stated that they are continuing this important discovery and that they can transfer more ore to the pilot plant in case of need, beyond the 600 tons available. Stating that the pilot plant is the first stage in the project, Tozar said: "After starting production at the pilot plant, our main goal is to establish a large facility that will process 570 thousand tons of ore and produce 10 thousand tons of rare earth oxide, 72 thousand fluorite, 70 thousand tons of barite and 250 tons of thorium annually. As soon as possible, we are making the planning of this facility on the back of the pilot plant works." (5)

Underlining another important point, Director Lütfi Tozar emphasized that new technologies can be produced thanks to rare earth elements. Stating that we undoubtedly possess mines of almost ultra-strategic importance, Tozar said, "Countries, especially China and the USA, are struggling hard for the production of these minerals. We have the advantage of having such a large field and reserve in our country." (5) 

Yes, dear readers, the reason why these rare earths are important is not only because they are minerals used in fields such as aviation, defense and space industry, biomedicine, but also because they are used in more than 20 fields from fiber optics to satellite communications, smart missiles to fuel cells. Seventy-eight percent of all rare earths imported into the US between 2017 and 2020 were of Chinese origin, according to the US Geological Survey. By now, China also produces more than 80 percent of the world's total rare earth refined products. I don't think it is necessary to be a clairvoyant to say that many things could change with Turkey's entry into the field. Sir, this is what the Turkish Century looks like, this is the beginning, let's look forward to the future with hope, dear readers.

Footnotes

(1) Meltem Çetin Sever, "Henry Moseley: The Physics Genius Who Died Young at the Battle of Çanakkale!", Evrim Ağacı; https://evrimagaci.org/henry-moseley-canakkale-savasinda-genc-yasta-olen-fizik-dehasi-10909/Erişim Tarihi 3004.2023/

(2) What is a Rare Earth element? What is a rare element? Which countries have it? Where does it exist? Aydınlık Newspaper, June 27, 2022; https://www.aydinlik.com.tr/haber/nadir-toprak-elementi-nedir-nadir-element-nedir-hangi-ulkelerde-var-nerede-var-323598/ Access Date 26.04.2023/

(3) https://tr.euronews.com/2022/07/16/turkiyenin-694-milyon-tonluk-nadir-toprak-elementleri-rezervi-icin-yabanci-uzmanlar-ne-diy/ Access Date 26.04.2023/

(4) Yeni Birlik Newspaper, "China and the US Pursuing 694 Million Tons Discovered in Turkey" April 17, 2023, p.1; https://www.gazetebirlik.com/haber/beylikova-florit-barit-ve-nadir-toprak-elementleri-tesisi-18-nisanda-acilacak-7627/Erişim Date 26.04.2023/

(5) Yeni Birlik Newspaper, "China and the US Pursuing 694 Million Tons Discovered in Turkey" April 17, 2023, p.9; https://www.gazetebirlik.com/haber/beylikova-florit-barit-ve-nadir-toprak-elementleri-tesisi-18-nisanda-acilacak-7627/Erişim Date 26.04.2023/