this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2026
19 points (100.0% liked)

Earth, Environment, and Geosciences

3566 readers
6 users here now

Welcome to c/EarthScience @ Mander.xyz!

Notice Board

This is a work in progress, please don't mind the mess.

What is geoscience?

Geoscience (also called Earth Science) is the study of Earth. Geoscience includes so much more than rocks and volcanoes, it studies the processes that form and shape Earth's surface, the natural resources we use, and how water and ecosystems are interconnected. Geoscience uses tools and techniques from other science fields as well, such as chemistry, physics, biology, and math! Read more...

Quick Facts

Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Be kind and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.

Jobs

Teaching Resources

Tools

Climate

Similar Communities

Sister Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Plants & Gardening

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Memes

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
fossilesque@mander.xyz
mishathings@mander.xyz
notsofunnycomment@mander.xyz
SciBot@mander.xyz
troyunrau@lemmy.ca
19
French-American chemist makes major breakthrough in recycling of rare earths (www.france24.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago by GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social to c/earthscience@mander.xyz
3 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

THIS IS AN AWESOME OUTSIDE THE BOX DISCOVERY!!!!! It will greatly affect The Environmentally Friendly Industries, can anybody say Solar Panels?

I am so happy, though it is just a short term solution, need to stop needing them all together, referencing the solar panels replacing rare earth metals with peanut shells.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Paragone@piefed.social 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Uh.. they aren't used in solar-panels, ttbomk.

They're used in neodymium magnets.

They're used in TIG-welding electrodes ( ceriated, etc. )

Without rare-earths, we've got no rare-earth magnets ( & hence no powerful permanent-magnet motors ) AND no TIG-welding ( except for the pure-tungsten ones, & the radioactive thoriated ones ).

You can't stop needing specific elements, or categories-of-elements: chemistry doesn't work that way, sorry.

_ /\ _

[–] GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Sorry, but I heard the exact opposite, from other sources, I trust.

Just DuckDuckGoed using- Does solar panels use Rare Earth Metals? & found & read all on the first page some- https://green.org/2024/01/30/solar-energys-dependence-on-rare-earth-materials/,

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2019/11/28/are-rare-earths-used-in-solar-panels/,

https://seia.org/blog/how-important-are-rare-earth-elements-to-the-solar-and-storage-industry/,
Only the above link from The Solar Energy Industries Association, claims solar panels are free from Rare Earth Elements/Metals, but admits the converts & Etc. required devices for Solar Panels to work, use Rare Earth Elements/Metals.

https://www.stanfordmaterials.com/blog/major-applications-of-rare-earth-elements-in-renewable-energy.html

&

https://palmetto.com/solar/minerals-in-solar-panels-and-solar-batteries

[–] Paragone@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago

started reading your 1st link, which calls Indium & Gallium rare-earth elements:

"Rare earth materials like indium, gallium, and tellurium play a crucial role in solar panels."

https://ptable.com/?lang=en#Properties

that 2-row section, at the bottom, THOSE are the rare-earth elements.

Indium & Gallium are in the main body, up above, so is tellurium.

Therefore that article is directly speaking disinformation, which only people who know, or check, the actual periodic-table, will catch.

2nd-link:

"However, a lack of rare earths does not mean that the components of solar modules are harmless. Thin-film PV technologies, for example, contain potentially critical metals such as tellurium, cadmium, indium and silver."

Your links are backing me up, Hoomin..

_ /\ _