Yunnan Discovered Rare Earth - Scandium, Worth More Than 75 Billion

Rare earth scandium was discovered in Yunnan, worth more than 75 billion! It took 12 years for Kunming Zhongdiyuan Mining Co., Ltd. to complete the comprehensive exploration and evaluation of the Maandi iron ore mine and obtain major mineral resources exploration results. The mineral has now passed the resources review of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Land and record confirmation.

Scandium is a chemical element with the symbol Sc and atomic number 21. A silvery-white metallic d-block element, it has historically been classified as a rare earth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanides. Sc is present in most of the deposits of rare-earth and uranium compounds, but it is extracted from these ores in only a few mines worldwide.

The properties of Sc compounds are intermediate between those of aluminium and yttrium. A diagonal relationship exists between the behavior of magnesium and scandium, just as there is between beryllium and aluminium. In the chemical compounds of the elements in group three, the predominant oxidation state is +3.

The uses of Sc are mainly in illumination, so it is called the "son of light". At present, the Sc sodium lamp widely used in television cameras, squares, stadiums, and street lighting uses Sc as the electric light source material. Adding Sc and sodium foil can effectively reduce heat energy loss. A scandium-sodium lamp with the same illuminance could save 80% of the electricity compared with ordinary incandescent lamps and has a service life of 5000-25000 hours.

The main application of Sc by weight is in aluminium-scandium alloys for minor aerospace industry components. The positive effects of Sc on aluminium alloys were discovered in the 1970s. These alloys, composed of as little as 0.5% Sc, make a significant difference in strength. Sc-stabilized zirconia enjoys a growing market demand for use as a high efficiency electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells.

Because of its special physical and chemical properties, Sc has been used to prepare aluminum-scandium alloys, fuel cells, Sc halogen lamps, tracers, laser crystals and other products. It is used in special steel, non-ferrous alloys, high-performance ceramics, catalysts, and other fields. Broad application prospects. Among the many current applications, fuel cells and scandium-sodium halogen lamps have the largest demand for scandium products.

The Sc resources of the Maandi iron ore discovered in Yunnan this time have proved that the amount of Sc₂O₃ is 4,023 tons, which is an extra-large scale, and the amount of TiO₂ is 4.52 million tons, reaching a medium scale; the iron ore is 69.69 million tons, which is a medium scale.

Scandium has no independent deposits and no corresponding industrial indicators. It is usually found in other ores in the form of co-association, and extraction is very difficult. According to estimates, there are only about 5 grams of rare earth Sc resources per ton of crustal material. The production is scarce and widely used, so the price is very expensive. The historical price has exceeded four times that of gold. Such rich minerals are all associated with the same deposit, which is the first discovery in the entire Yunnan area. The overall potential economic value of this mine exceeds 75 billion.

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