From the US case Signed several rare earths and trade agreements with 4 partner countries in ASEAN. Amid tighter controls on rare earth mineral exports from China. This raises an interesting issue: the production of Rare Earth Elements in Thailand.
Earth minerals are a group of 17 special metal elements that have similar properties. and is an important component of modern electronic devices and technology such as smartphones, electric cars, and medical devices.
Even though the group of special metal elements mentioned above Can be found commonly in nature. But it is difficult to find in pure form. And the extraction process is complex and expensive.
The composition of Earth minerals is the lanthanide group of 15 types of elements, the other 2 types are Scandium and Yttrium. In electronics: phone screens, tablets, computers and speakers, Technology: electric car engines, wind turbines, navigation systems and radar, Medicine: MRI scanners and laser surgery, Defense: weapons and equipment.
This is why it is called “rare” because it is rarely found in nature in pure mineral form that can be directly mined. The extraction, separation and purification process is complex and expensive. and the concentration of these elements is widely distributed. and is often mixed with other minerals This makes it impossible to extract worthwhile quantities.
However, information from the Department of Mineral Resources indicates that rare earth elements are used as extremely important upstream raw materials in the production processes of various types of high-tech industries in the world today and in the future, such as metal alloys, catalysts in the automotive and petrochemical industries. (catalyst&chemical process) ceramic/glass industry (ceramics&glass) phosphors such as LEDs, fluorescent lamps, flat panel displays, lasers, rechargeable solid state (Ni-MH) batteries, fiber optics, and more.
Rare earths are also important components in modern technologies such as solid state fuel cells and superconductors. Superconductors, magnetic cooling, hydrogen storage and high performance permanent magnets are critical for high-tech applications such as wind turbines and hybrid cars. to HD drives, speakers and cell phone microphones. Each rare earth element has a variety of different uses.
Although they are called rare earth elements, they can be found in almost every type of rock that makes up the earth’s crust. Mineral deposits that yield rare elements are found scattered in the western part of Thailand. From the northern region to the southern region such as Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Uthai Thani, Kanchanaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Ranong, Phang Nga and Surat Thani.
In Thailand, there are also mineral resources that are used in various fields. There are many more things in our daily life, from mixing in toothpaste, toilet bowls, and ceramic dishes. Mobile phones, automobiles, and road structures and skyscrapers. According to the Thailand Mineral Resource Account for 2023, 19 percent of Thailand’s area has more than 40 types of mineral resources. The type of mineral resource found in the highest amount, nearly 60 percent of the entire country, is rock salt, which is distributed in the northeastern region of Thailand. Surveying the discovery of important mineral resources can be used to bring academic information to develop exploration and study of other important mineral resources in the future.
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