Latest news with #Neodymium
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Rare earth elements: China's grip on critical metals and why the world depends on them
India's ambitions in electronics, (EVs), and clean energy may face critical challenges due to its limited domestic production of rare earth elements (REEs), despite holding sizable reserves. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now China continues to dominate the global REE supply chain, controlling over 90 per cent of the world's processing and magnet-making capacity, reported ET. Rare earths, 17 elements with unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties, are essential for a wide range of high-tech and green energy products. From permanent magnets in EV motors and wind turbines to phosphors in LED lights and data storage in MRI machines, these materials are foundational to next-generation technologies. Here's how individual elements are used: Neodymium (Nd): Permanent magnets in motors, headphones, microphones, hard drives, speakers Praseodymium (Pr): Magnets (with Nd), aircraft engines, fibre optic cables Dysprosium (Dy): Improves heat resistance in magnets, used in EV motors, hard drives, earbuds Terbium (Tb): Phosphors for green colour in displays and lighting Samarium (Sm): High-strength magnets for headphones, microwave devices, small motors Europium (Eu): Red phosphors for displays and LED lights Yttrium (Y): Phosphors for LED and CRT displays, laser devices Gadolinium (Gd): Used in data storage and MRI machines Lanthanum (La): Rechargeable batteries, lenses in cameras/smartphones, glass additives Cerium (Ce): Polishing compounds for glass, catalysts, and phosphors Erbium (Er): Optical amplifiers in fibre optic communication Other REEs, Scandium, Holmium, Thulium, Lutetium, Ytterbium, Promethium, are vital in specialised lasers, sensors, electronic devices, and medical imaging systems. According to ET, China alone accounts for nearly 70 per cent of global rare earth mining, with countries like the US (12 per cent), Myanmar (10 per cent), and Australia (8 per cent) following distantly. India, though possessing around 6–7 million metric tonnes of reserves, about 6–7 per cent of the global total, contributes less than 1 per cent to the world's annual output. This creates a major vulnerability for Indian manufacturers. Any disruption or restriction in supply from China could severely impact production lines, especially in EVs, smartphones, and defence systems. As per ET, this gives Beijing immense leverage. While the US has tried building its own capacity in light rare earths like neodymium and cerium, China remains the primary source for most critical elements, including dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
China controls world's rare earth supply chains: What are rare earth elements and why world can't function without them? Explained
India's ambitions in electronics, (EVs), and clean energy may face critical challenges due to its limited domestic production of rare earth elements (REEs), despite holding sizable reserves. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now China continues to dominate the global REE supply chain, controlling over 90 per cent of the world's processing and magnet-making capacity, reported ET. Rare earths, 17 elements with unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties, are essential for a wide range of high-tech and green energy products. From permanent magnets in EV motors and wind turbines to phosphors in LED lights and data storage in MRI machines, these materials are foundational to next-generation technologies. Here's how individual elements are used: Neodymium (Nd): Permanent magnets in motors, headphones, microphones, hard drives, speakers Praseodymium (Pr): Magnets (with Nd), aircraft engines, fibre optic cables Dysprosium (Dy): Improves heat resistance in magnets, used in EV motors, hard drives, earbuds Terbium (Tb): Phosphors for green colour in displays and lighting Samarium (Sm): High-strength magnets for headphones, microwave devices, small motors Europium (Eu): Red phosphors for displays and LED lights Yttrium (Y): Phosphors for LED and CRT displays, laser devices Gadolinium (Gd): Used in data storage and MRI machines Lanthanum (La): Rechargeable batteries, lenses in cameras/smartphones, glass additives Cerium (Ce): Polishing compounds for glass, catalysts, and phosphors Erbium (Er): Optical amplifiers in fibre optic communication Other REEs, Scandium, Holmium, Thulium, Lutetium, Ytterbium, Promethium, are vital in specialised lasers, sensors, electronic devices, and medical imaging systems. According to ET, China alone accounts for nearly 70 per cent of global rare earth mining, with countries like the US (12 per cent), Myanmar (10 per cent), and Australia (8 per cent) following distantly. India, though possessing around 6–7 million metric tonnes of reserves, about 6–7 per cent of the global total, contributes less than 1 per cent to the world's annual output. This creates a major vulnerability for Indian manufacturers. Any disruption or restriction in supply from China could severely impact production lines, especially in EVs, smartphones, and defence systems. As per ET, this gives Beijing immense leverage. While the US has tried building its own capacity in light rare earths like neodymium and cerium, China remains the primary source for most critical elements, including dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium.
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Forbes
Cambridge Audio's Melomania A100 Wireless Earbuds With Hi-Fi Sound Quality
The new Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 wireless earbuds are available now. One of the most popular British audio brands, Cambridge Audio, has been making waves on the British hi-fi scene for more than half a century. Today, the London-based brand celebrates its next 50 years with the launch of a new pair of true wireless earbuds: the all-new Melomania A100. These new wireless earbuds have been designed to deliver Cambridge Audio's award-winning signature sound in a compact and comfortable form factor. The A100 have been tuned and acoustically optimized by the brand's London-based engineers and they use the same Class AB amplification found in Cambridge Audio's award-winning CX and EX Series of amplifiers. The Melomania A100 uses 10mm diameter, precision-tuned, dynamic Neodymium drivers. Cambridge Audio says these latest drivers have been tuned to produce a deeper bass with richer mids and clear highs that meld together to deliver a high-fidelity listening experience. The Melomania A100 support the hi-res LDAC and aptX Lossless audio codecs over Bluetooth. They are also are the first to use Cambridge Audio's proprietary DynamEQ technology which ensures details remain intact and balanced even when the user is listening to music at low volume levels. The new A100 wireless earbuds from Cambridge Audio feature Class AB amplification and custom tuned ... More Neodymium drivers. A full charge of the A100 earbuds provides up to 11 hours of continuous listening time. The designers say that comfort is at the center of the physical design of the earbuds and the company claims it's made a lot of effort to ensure the shape of the earbuds makes them comfortable to wear, even after a lengthy listening session. Thanks to the use of lightweight and premium materials as well as a wide choice of silicone tip sizes, these earbuds are designed for long-lasting wearability and an ergonomic fit. The Melomania A100 stow away in their charging case when not in use and it holds extra power for topping up the earbud batteries. The case sports three white LEDs on its front panel giving instant feedback of battery level. To squeeze the Cambridge Audio signature soundscape into such as small pair of wireless earbuds, the company's engineers used hi-fi grade Class AB amplification to power the 10mm Neodymium drivers. The result is increased warmth and more musicality than would be available from off-the-shelf drivers using regular Class D amplification. To provide high-quality processing of the digital signals, Cambridge Audio chose Qualcomm's dual-core 240MHz Kalimba digital signal processor. This offers more refined sound processing and lower distortion levels as well as more clarity than most chipsets. There is support for LDAC, aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth audio codecs, as well as the more usual AAC and SBC. The Cambridge Audio A100 are available in white or black and come with a range of high-quality ear ... More tips for maximum acoustic isolation. The A100 are the fourth pair of Melomania earbuds from Cambridge Audio. The Melomania range is something of a personal quest adn challenge for the company's chairman, James Johnson Flint, who has been pursuing the Holy Grail of a perfect-sounding pair earbuds for half a decade now. The development of the A100 is the culmination of Johnson-Flint's efforts and the use DynamEQ technology to keep the music perfectly balanced, even at lower volume levels, is something he is particularly pleased with. By subtly adjusting bass and treble through the volume curve, the A100 ensure that every track can sound its best with a full and natural tone, no matter what the listening level. Like any good pair of wireless earbuds, the Melomania A100 have Active Noise Cancellation which uses a hybrid combination of Feed-Back and Feed-Forward ANC. There are external microphones for monitoring outside ambient sounds, plus interior microphones monitoring the ear canal to sweep up any noise making it through the acoustic seal of the ear tips. The result is more unwanted sound blocked out. Out of the box, the A100 earbuds are tuned to provide the classic Cambridge Audio sound signature. The A100's transparent and natural presentation is how Cambridge Audio believes music should be heard. However, people have personal preferences and hear music in different ways. For this reason, the A100 earbuds also offer a range of options for customizing the sound. A full charge of the A100's storage case and earbuds can provide up to 40 hours of continuous ... More playtime. Users can shape the sound signature of the A100 to suit their preferences using the new Melomania Connect smartphone app. It's possible to fine-tune the tone using a 7-band adjustable EQ. There are also six EQ presets tailored for different genres of music. Users can create their own EQ profiles and then save them for total control over the listening experience. To customize the A100 further, the Melomania Connect app includes a feature that can remap the touch controls on each earpiece to suit the user. When wireless earbuds first launched more than 10 years ago, they would often play for between and hour or two before they needed to be recharged. Today we expect much better and a full charge of the A100 provides up to 11 hours of continuous playback with the ANC turned off. That figure drops to 6.5 hours with ANC turned on, which is still long enough for a flight from London to New York. It's also sufficient juice for a 9-to-5 work shift and something spare for the commute home. The ultra-compact charging case can hold enough power for up to 28 hours of listening time. Incidentally, a fast-charging function means a quick 10-minute charge of the A100 can provide another three hours of playback time. This is a handy feature if you've not used the earbuds for a while and are just about to go out for a run. The new A100 earbuds are one of the first products to bear the new Cambridge Audio branding. The Melomania A100 are built around Bluetooth Version 5.4 and support Multipoint Connectivity so two devices can connect at the same time. Why would you want to do that? Well, you could be listening to music or watching a movie on your personal smartphone but need to take a phone call on your business phone. With Multipoint Connectivity you can instantly switch between devices without any interruption. For phone calls or video meetings, the A100 uses no fewer than six microphones for picking up the user's voice loud and clear. Advanced cVc noise isolation technology filters out unwanted and noisy background sounds to boost call clarity. The Melomania A100 earbuds mark a new era for Cambridge Audio because they bear the company's new branding and work with the redesigned Melomania Connect app. The A100 are also launching alongside the Cambridge Audio's new Evo 150 SE streamer amp which is also controlled by the refreshed StreamMagic app. Cambridge Audio's Melomania A100 earbuds are available from and Amazon across Europe and Asia. The price is $149.99 / £119 / €139 but the A100 won't be available in the U.S. until later in the year.
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Business Standard
19-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Attero to invest ₹100 crore to scale rare earth recycling capacity
E-waste recycling company Attero plans to invest Rs 100 crore to scale up its rare earth recycling capacity to 30,000 tonnes from 300 tonnes over the next 12 to 24 months, a top official of the firm said on Thursday. China in April imposed restrictions on exports of rare earth, a critical mineral used in manufacturing of electronic, automobile and other technology products. Attero CEO and Co-Founder Nitin Gupta told PTI that the investment is in line with demand in the market for rare earth magnets, for which industries in India and across the world like electronics, automobile etc are entirely dependent on supplies from China. "With our existing capability and technology leadership, we are ready to scale our REE recycling capacity from 1 to 100 tonnes per day to reach a total of 30,000 tonnes annually and explore further expansion as demand accelerates. We plan to invest Rs 100 crore towards this expansion," he said. The company will focus on extraction of rare earth minerals such as Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), and Dysprosium (Dy) with over 98 per cent efficiency and 99.9 per cent purity. These are essential to key sectors including electric vehicles, wind energy, and consumer electronics. "Attero has consistently advocated for India's self-reliance in critical minerals to reduce dependence on imports and counter China's dominance in rare earth supply chains. "We are proud to be the only Indian company with proven deep-tech and globally patented processes to refine black mass and recover rare earth elements. The current global environment only reinforces the urgency of building domestic infrastructure," Gupta said. The government has launched the National Critical Mineral Mission in January to build a strong foundation for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. The initiative recognises recycling as a key strategy to secure domestic supply chains and reduce dependence on imports. Gupta said that his company's expansion directly supports the government's National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) aimed at reducing import dependence and promote self-reliance in critical mineral supply chains. According to industry estimates shared by Attero in a note, the global REE market is projected to reach USD 10.9 billion by 2029 at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 12.6 per cent, and REE magnets expected to exceed USD 30.3 billion by 2033. Gupta said that Attero holds over 46 global patents, including recent grants in the rare earth space across India and key international markets including Oman , Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE , Bahrain, China and Taiwan. "Attero's patented technology enables the extraction of REEs from e-waste and end-of-life electronics such as hard disk drives, laptops, neckbands, and earphones; components that contain high concentrations of Nd, Pr, Ce, Gd, and Dy. The process is energy-efficient, cost-effective, and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional mining," Gupta said. In the financial year 2025, Attero claims to have processed over 1.5 lakh tonnes of e-waste and 15,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries annually and targeting a Y-o-Y growth of 100 per cent. Attero also has plans to expand its footprint in Europe and the US. The company aims to ramp up its annual e-waste processing to 4,15,000 tonnes and battery recycling to 50,000 tonnes, expanding its global capacity and furthering India's leadership in critical mineral recycling.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Attero to invest Rs 100 crore to scale up rare earth recycling capacity to 30,000 tonnes
E-waste recycling company Attero plans to invest Rs 100 crore to scale up its rare earth recycling capacity to 30,000 tonnes from 300 tonnes over the next 12 to 24 months, a top official of the firm said on Thursday. China in April imposed restrictions on exports of rare earth, a critical mineral used in manufacturing of electronic, automobile and other technology products. Attero CEO and Co-Founder Nitin Gupta told PTI that the investment is in line with demand in the market for rare earth magnets, for which industries in India and across the world like electronics, automobile etc are entirely dependent on supplies from China. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo "With our existing capability and technology leadership, we are ready to scale our REE recycling capacity from 1 to 100 tonnes per day to reach a total of 30,000 tonnes annually and explore further expansion as demand accelerates. We plan to invest Rs 100 crore towards this expansion," he said. The company will focus on extraction of rare earth minerals such as Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), and Dysprosium (Dy) with over 98 per cent efficiency and 99.9 per cent purity. These are essential to key sectors including electric vehicles, wind energy, and consumer electronics. Live Events "Attero has consistently advocated for India's self-reliance in critical minerals to reduce dependence on imports and counter China's dominance in rare earth supply chains. "We are proud to be the only Indian company with proven deep-tech and globally patented processes to refine black mass and recover rare earth elements. The current global environment only reinforces the urgency of building domestic infrastructure," Gupta said. The government has launched the National Critical Mineral Mission in January to build a strong foundation for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. The initiative recognises recycling as a key strategy to secure domestic supply chains and reduce dependence on imports. Gupta said that his company's expansion directly supports the government's National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) aimed at reducing import dependence and promote self-reliance in critical mineral supply chains. According to industry estimates shared by Attero in a note, the global REE market is projected to reach USD 10.9 billion by 2029 at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 12.6 per cent, and REE magnets expected to exceed USD 30.3 billion by 2033. Gupta said that Attero holds over 46 global patents, including recent grants in the rare earth space across India and key international markets including Oman , Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE , Bahrain, China and Taiwan. "Attero's patented technology enables the extraction of REEs from e-waste and end-of-life electronics such as hard disk drives, laptops, neckbands, and earphones; components that contain high concentrations of Nd, Pr, Ce, Gd, and Dy. The process is energy-efficient, cost-effective, and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional mining," Gupta said. In the financial year 2025, Attero claims to have processed over 1.5 lakh tonnes of e-waste and 15,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries annually and targeting a Y-o-Y growth of 100 per cent. Attero also has plans to expand its footprint in Europe and the US. The company aims to ramp up its annual e-waste processing to 4,15,000 tonnes and battery recycling to 50,000 tonnes, expanding its global capacity and furthering India's leadership in critical mineral recycling.
