CNRS Launches 5-Year Project to Secure Rare Earth Supplies
The supply of rare earths, crucial for various industries, is under strain. To tackle this, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) has launched a five-year project, 'Multidisciplinary Research Group Rare Earth Elements', to secure these vital resources. The project, running from 2022 to 2026, aims to assess the scientific knowledge on rare earths throughout their lifecycle.
Rare earth elements (REEs) are indispensable in fields like renewable energies, e-mobility, medical imaging, and chemical catalysis due to their unique properties. However, their sustainability is questioned due to strong annual growth in demand, significant environmental impact, and geopolitical risks associated with their extraction and transformation.
The CNRS-led Collective Scientific Expertise (ESCo) Rare Earths project will establish the state of the art in scientific knowledge on the challenges and opportunities of more responsible rare earth use. It will provide a comprehensive multidisciplinary overview of current and future REE uses and list scientific knowledge along three axes: reduce, recycle, and produce differently. The project will also address knowledge related to the use of other strategic and critical metals when these can be transposed to the case of REEs.
The expertise will be carried out by a multidisciplinary team of scientists based on a documentary corpus of several thousand references. It will ensure the respect of principles of competence, independence, impartiality, and transparency. The project is set to conclude in the last quarter of 2025.
The CNRS's Rare Earths expertise project underscores the critical role of these elements in France and global supply chains. By providing a thorough understanding of their uses and potential alternatives, the project aims to inform strategies for securing sustainable rare earth supplies.
